Man shot, woman found dead following an officer-involved shooting in Grundy

A woman is dead and a man is recovering from a gunshot wound after a pursuit led to shots being fired Saturday night in what is described as an officer-involved shooting in the Flat Branch community in Grundy County.

A male suspect, later identified as Jackie Wayne Bean, was taken into custody after a nine-hour manhunt, Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum said in a news release issued early Sunday. Bean was captured without incident in a wooded area near the scene around 8 a.m. CST Sunday morning and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Shrum said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. CST Saturday following a pursuit that ended on B Mine Road. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation at the request of 12th Judicial District Attorney Mike Taylor.

According to the TBI, preliminary information indicates Bean reportedly pointed a firearm at the deputy, who then fired into the vehicle several times.

The vehicle, which was facing the deputy’s vehicle at the time of the shooting, sped away and sideswiped the deputy’s cruiser. Deputies attempted to pursue the vehicle, but quickly lost sight of it, officials said.

About 20 minutes later, a passerby happened to see the suspect crashed off of the side of B Mine Road, TBI officials said. Authorities said Bean approached the passerby and said that he had been shot and needed help. He asked for the other person’s vehicle, but the passerby drove away and called law enforcement instead.

When officers arrived, however, Bean had already fled the scene and a woman’s body was found inside the vehicle. The body has been identified as that of 20-year-old Shelby Comer. Comer’s body will undergo an autopsy in Nashville to determine the cause of death. Bean was captured several hours later.

TBI investigators and forensic scientists will collect evidence as part of the ongoing investigation, officials said. Investigative findings will be submitted to the District Attorney General’s office for review and consideration.

TBI officials noted that the state agency only acts as ‘fact-finders’ in its investigation. The determination as to whether the law enforcement officers’ actions were justified rests solely with the attorney general.

The officer involved in the shooting incident has not yet been named by Shrum.