At the request of 23rd District Attorney Ray Crouch, TBI Special Agents are independently investigating the deadly shooting of a man by deputies from the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday night.

The shooting happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Highway 46 in Indian Mound, where deputies had responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Deputies soon made contact with a man, identified as Billy Joe Reynolds (DOB 3-15-79), inside the vehicle. Reynolds was making suicidal comments and in possession of a firearm. As deputies awaited specially-trained officers to work to diffuse the situation, Reynolds reportedly fired his weapon in the direction of law enforcement, resulting in three deputies returning fire, striking and killing him. No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, as TBI Agents continue to gather any and all relevant evidence, interviews, and information.  Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration.

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.

As a reminder, 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 solely with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.

Any updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.