At the request of 3rd District Attorney General Dan Armstrong, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to the shooting of a woman during an interaction with deputies from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Sunday evening.

Just before 10:00 p.m., Sullivan County deputies spotted Katelyn L. Harris (DOB 11/14/91), who they knew to have outstanding felony warrants, traveling along John B Dennis Highway in Kingsport. A traffic stop was initiated, but Harris refused to stop. A pursuit ensued, with Harris eventually traveling onto Interstate 81 and into Greene County. Harris drove to Exit 44 and turned North on Jearoldstown Road. A short time later, she ran off the roadway, at which point a passenger got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody. During the encounter with the passenger, deputies noticed that Harris had a gun. While ordering her to drop the weapon, she reportedly put the vehicle in reverse and accelerated toward deputies. Three deputies fired shots, striking Harris. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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.