Sheriff’s deputy returns suspect fire

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been looking into the circumstances that led to an officer-involved shooting late last week in Meigs County.

John Eaves Jr., 55, was charged with attempted second-degree murder and aggravated domestic assault after being taken to a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound, a news release from the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office stated.

The deputy was uninjured. Just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Hill was called to a home in the 1000 block of No Pone Valley Road in Decatur to do a welfare check on a man with a history of mental illness who was off his medication, according to the news release.

The caller said there was a man shooting a gun in his basement, possibly in the presence of his mother.

Upon arrival, Hill made contact with Eaves at the front door. Eaves had his hand in his pocket, and when Hill asked what was in his pocket, Eaves told him it was a gun, the news release states.

Eaves then pulled the gun out of his pocket shot at Hill but did not hit him. Hill then returned fire, wounding Eaves.

At that point, another deputy, Jeremy Bowman, arrived and helped take Eaves into custody and transport him to the hospital. Neither deputy was injured in the altercation.

Investigators determined Eaves had been threatening his mother for the past couple of weeks, officials said.

Hill has been placed on paid administrative leave, per standard protocol, as the TBI continues its investigation.