At the request of 10th District Attorney General Steve Crump, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in McMinn County.

Shortly after 2:00 a.m., deputies with the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 300 block of County Road 116 in Athens in reference to a call reporting gunshots being fired. Preliminary information indicates that upon arrival, deputies encountered a man who brandished a weapon and pointed it at them. Two deputies fired shots, striking the man. He was airlifted to a Chattanooga hospital for treatment. 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.