At the request of 4th Judicial District Attorney General James Dunn, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred overnight in Cocke County.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 1:00 a.m. Friday, deputies with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office spotted a vehicle being driven by an individual known to have an outstanding warrant. The driver refused to stop and led deputies on a pursuit. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle and take the driver into custody in the 1700 block of Neddy Mountain Road in Del Rio. At some point during the encounter, for reasons still under investigation, deputies fired shots, striking the driver. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No deputies were injured.
TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration. The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters. That decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.
The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department to answer as it sees fit.
Any available updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.
TBINewsroom.com 