At the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney Steve Finney, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Wednesday night in Johnson County.
Just before 10:30 p.m., deputies from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a residence in the 300 block of Cross Mountain Road in Mountain City to execute a search warrant in connection to an investigation involving Alexander James Russom (DOB: 11/12/85). Preliminary information indicates that when deputies encountered Russom, he fired shots. Both Johnson County and Carter County deputies returned fire, striking Russom. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. A Johnson County K9 was also shot during the incident and was transported to a veterinary emergency clinic for treatment. No other 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 