TBI Special Agents Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Washington County

At the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Monday afternoon in Washington County.

Preliminary information indicates that just before 12:30 p.m., a trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop on a car traveling along State Route 81 in Jonesborough. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit continued until spike strips were deployed to stop the car, which occurred in the 1000 block of State Route 81.

Initial information from the scene indicates that when the vehicle stopped, a passenger got out and ran into a wooded area. A dog also ran from the car and toward a trooper, resulting in the trooper shooting the dog. During the encounter, the passenger who ran into the wooded area reportedly confronted the trooper. For reasons still under investigation, the trooper fired shots, striking the man. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No troopers 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.