‘Suicidal’ man dies in altercation with Clinton police
A Clinton police officer who answered a call about a potentially “suicidal” man in the parking lot of an apartment complex is now recovering from injuries received in an attack by the man, who ended up dying of gunshot wounds after the altercation, according to police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The dead man was identified Monday by the TBI as Isaiah Gregory Hill, 25, whose most recent address according to a background check was listed as Old Clear Branch Lane, Rocky Top. No other information was immediately available.
Clinton Chief of Police Vaughn Becker said Monday that the police officer involved in the incident was dispatched to the parking lot of the Calloway Village Apartments, 1000 Medaris St., Clinton, shortly after 8 p.m., where he was confronted by Hill.
The attack on the officer occurred before police backup could arrive, and the shooting took place with only the single responding officer on the scene to answer the call, Becker said.
As a result of the confrontation, the officer, who has not yet been named, received unspecified minor injuries that required treatment at a hospital.
Hill was taken to UT Hospital in Knoxville as a result of the injuries he received in the shooting, where he died, the TBI and Becker said.
As is normal in the case of an officer-involved shooting, the TBI was called in by the Seventh Judicial District Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident, and the officer has been placed on “paid administrative leave” pending results of the investigation, Becker said.
“Preliminary information indicates that shortly after 8 p.m., a Clinton police officer responded to a call at a residence in the 1000 block of Medaris Drive, on a report of a suicidal individual,” the TBI reported.
“Shortly after arriving, the officer encountered the subject in a parking area,” the report said. “Shots were fired and the subject was injured. The individual was transported to a local hospital, where he died. … The officer sustained minor injuries.”
The TBI added on Monday:
“At this time, this investigation remains active and ongoing. 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.”
Additionally, the agency noted that 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.”