At the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred overnight in Carter County.
Preliminary information indicates that around 12:30 a.m. Friday, deputies with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office responded to an address in the 200 block of Keenburg Road in Elizabethton after receiving information about the possible location of a vehicle that was the subject of a BOLO (Be On The Lookout) out of Elizabethton. Upon arrival, the vehicle sped away, and a pursuit ensued. During the pursuit, the male driver reportedly fired shots at deputies. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed in the 6000 block of Highway 19E. For reasons still under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in deputies firing shots, striking the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured during the incident.
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.
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