At the request of 2nd Judicial District Attorney General Barry Staubus, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday morning in Sullivan County.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 8:00 a.m., deputies with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Bloomingdale Pike in Kingsport after receiving information that Joshua Delp (DOB: 08/09/96), who had outstanding felony warrants, was at that location. Upon arrival, deputies located Delp, who was armed with a gun. During the encounter, for reasons still under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in four deputies firing shots, striking Delp. 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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