TBI Agents Investigating Jefferson County Officer-Involved Shooting

Just before 11:00 a.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a request to perform a welfare check on a man at a residence in the 1400 block of David Swann Drive in Dandridge. Upon arrival, the man was not cooperative with officers and refused to come outside. Preliminary information indicates the man eventually came outside and got into a vehicle. As he was leaving, he stopped the vehicle, got out of the car, and for reasons still under investigation, got into an altercation with an officer. The situation escalated, resulting in a Jefferson County deputy and an officer with the White Pine Police Department firing shots, striking the individual. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No officers 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.