Justice · Carter County shootingCarter County shooting: Driver dies after deputies fire following pursuitAired October 24, 2026 at 9:52 AM UTCWritten October 24, 2026 at 10:01 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Carter County deputies shot a driver who was pronounced dead at the scene.0:11The pursuit ended on Highway 19E, and state agents are investigating the deputies'0:16use of deadly force.0:17What happened after the vehicle stopped and before deputies fired is still0:21unexplained.0:22Deputies began pursuing the vehicle in Elizabethton in northeastern Tennessee.0:26They had received information about a vehicle wanted in connection with a possible0:30shooting.0:30The pursuit ended in the 6,000 block of Highway 19E, near Tiger Creek Road.0:36The shooting happened early Friday, October 23.0:39Deputies had gone to an address in the 200 block of Keenberg Road after receiving a0:43possible location for the vehicle.0:45The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the vehicle sped away when deputies0:49arrived.0:49Deputies responded around 12.30 a.m.0:52Sheriff Mike Fraley places the shooting at about 12.45 a.m., roughly 15 minutes0:57later.0:58Those times describe separate stages, with the pursuit taking place between the1:02initial response and the shooting.1:03Police say two men left the Elizabethton Lowe's Thursday night without paying for1:07nearly $750 in merchandise.1:10That alleged theft preceded a confrontation outside the store and the search for the1:14vehicle deputies later pursued.1:16Police say one man threatened another man with a handgun and fired toward the1:20ground.1:20Debris struck that man's leg.1:22Investigators later located a suspect vehicle.1:25Three people were reportedly detained, while a fourth drove away and led deputies on1:29the pursuit.1:30Police haven't said which of the alleged acts outside the store they attribute to1:34the driver who later died.1:35The three detentions also leave an unanswered question about charges.1:39Authorities hadn't released the driver's name in their October 23 accounts.1:43One driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and no deputies were injured.1:47The TBI says the driver reportedly fired at deputies during the pursuit.1:51Agents are still reconstructing the encounter, including the gunfire after the1:55vehicle stopped.1:56Sheriff Mike Fraley says deputies stopped the vehicle with a pursuit intervention2:00technique, commonly called a pit maneuver.2:03The TBI describes the driver crashing.2:05A police maneuver could have preceded that crash.2:08Investigators still have to determine exactly how the vehicle stopped.2:11Deputies fired after the vehicle stopped and struck the driver.2:14The TBI hasn't explained what caused that escalation.2:17The reported shots during the pursuit leave the threat at the moment.2:20Deputies fired unresolved.2:22Investigators also need to explain the fatal injuries.2:25The driver was struck by deputies' gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene, but2:30authorities haven't released a medical cause of death.2:32The relative contribution of the shooting and the crash is still unknown.2:36Highway 19E reopened near Tiger Creek Road by 7:15 a.m.2:40Friday.2:40All lanes had been closed that morning because of the investigation.2:43Drivers could travel through again while the inquiry into the pursuit and shooting2:47continued.2:47District Attorney General Steve Finney requested the state investigation.2:51Agents are collecting evidence and conducting interviews, and they'll share their2:54findings with him.2:56Finney decides whether the deputies' actions were justified.2:59The TBI's responsibility is to determine what happened.3:03No justification decision has been announced.3:05The TBI hasn't set a completion date and says it will publish available updates.3:09It leaves questions about the involved deputies' identities to their employing3:13department.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗