The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said it is investigating the shooting of a suspect who fled during a traffic stop and ultimately ended up shooting and striking a police officer.
“Preliminary information indicates that just before midnight, an officer with the Selmer Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle observed speeding along Highway 64,” according to a TBI release.
“When the driver of the vehicle pulled over, a passenger got out and ran. With assistance from the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office, Selmer officers later located the man hiding in a residential area along County Club Lane. According to reports from the scene, the man fired shots at a Selmer officer, injuring the officer,” the release says. “A McNairy County deputy returned fire, striking the man. He was transported to a hospital in Corinth, Mississippi, where he later died. The Selmer officer was transported to an area hospital for treatment of his injuries.”
Neither the suspect nor the police officers have been named.
“TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews,” the release says. “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.”
District Attorney General Mark Davidson of the 21st Judicial District will oversee the case.
TBI keeps a public log of officer-involved shootings.
In 2023, there have been 29 such incidents. There were 50 officer-involved shootings in 2021.
The law enforcement entities involved in shootings this year range from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, to sheriff’s departments and local police departments, to federal law enforcement agencies, to TBI itself.
TBI investigates every time a law enforcement officer discharges a weapon in the line of duty, even if no one was injured or killed.
For example, in February, TBI announced that it was investigating a shooting by a United States Postal Inspector Service (USPIS) officer and a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officer.
That shooting occurred during an undercover investigation into drug trafficking in the city of Kingsport, but neither the suspect, who allegedly fired upon the law enforcement agents, nor the law enforcement officers who fired their weapons at the suspect, were struck.
“Preliminary information indicates that during the investigation, authorities encountered a man outside the home,” TBI said at the time. “When confronted, the man began running away from the residence, reportedly firing shots at investigators. A U.S. postal inspector and an HSI agent returned fire. The man was taken into custody a short time later. No one was injured during the incident.”
TBI does not keep a log of the dispositions of each case regarding whether a law enforcement official was fired or charged for any wrongdoing in any officer-involved shooting.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Crime Scene Tape” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 4.0.
