Report details deputy’s shooting
Suspect was suicidal and used an AR-15 rifle
A suicidal suspect opened fire on Knox County Sheriff’s Officer Tucker Blakely with an AR-15 rifle, hitting him three times and instantly immobilizing him, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s report and body camera footage reviewed by Knox News.
Blakely, 29, died of his injuries the next day, Oct. 2.
The TBI investigates shootings that involve police officers, and Knox News obtained the report Jan. 10. It includes new information about the confrontation that claimed Blakely’s life.
Blakely and Deputy James Loft had just made their way upstairs at a home of a domestic dispute call in the Solway community and begun to search for two young children to move them to safety when Matthew Rose opened fire on Blakely.
Loft returned fire and killed Rose, 30. Blakely was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and succumbed to his injuries the next day. Blakely was an organ donor.
New details about what led to the call
Rose had been struggling with mental health complications and his wife, who called the police late Oct. 1, told investigators he was bipolar and had asked her to kill him earlier in the evening. Rose was intoxicated when he threatened his wife and attempted to get her into a car in the garage at the home in an effort to kidnap her, she said.
“(Rose) had been drinking to help make ‘the bad things in his head go away,’ and it ‘made him angry and crazy,’ ” the TBI report says.
Around 11:15 p.m. a neighbor was taking out the trash and witnessed part of the altercation. He offered his phone to the woman to call 911. She told police Rose possibly had weapons with him.
What happened when officers arrived
Around 11:30 p.m., four deputies arrived at the home.
Most of the following account is from Loft’s body camera and the TBI investigative report. There is no available footage from Blakely as he was not wearing a body camera on the call.
After briefly speaking with the neighbor and the wife, Blakely and Loft entered the home while the other two deputies remained outside with the woman. She told deputies a 2year-old girl and 6-year-old boy were upstairs in their rooms and Rose was upstairs in the master bedroom.
The two deputies entered the master bedroom. Loft entered the bathroom while Blakely walked toward an adjacent closet. Rose unleashed a barrage of gunfire on Blakely. The report says more than 10 shots were fired by Rose.
Loft fired back 12 shots through the bathroom wall, hitting Rose.
Loft then scrambled over and removed the gun from Rose, then moved to help Blakely, who is not responsive.
According to the report, Rose began to move and Loft fired five more shots, killing him.
Loft then rendered aid to Blakely, and was joined by the other deputies. Within a few minutes Blakely was rushed to an ambulance.
According to the autopsy reports, Blakely suffered three gunshot wounds, including one to his head, and Rose suffered six gunshot wounds, including to the abdomen, chest and head.
“He was so much more than the fallen officer we know today. Even in the most difficult times, he found courage – an attribute I like to think we can now share.” Katarina Blakely Widow
Education fund for Blakely’s son
Blakely is survived by his wife, Katarina, and son, who was 5 years old at the time of his father’s death.
The military veteran was on his final patrol shift after he had been selected for a K-9 assignment. He joined the sheriff’s office after graduating from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy in 2021, Sheriff Tom Spangler said.
“Sunday night was his last shift as a patrol officer, he was supposed to start K-9 handler school,” his brother, Timothy “Ty” Blakely Jr., told Knox News in October. “He already had his K-9, Enoch. He was so excited . ... It seems like a nightmare right now.”
Tucker graduated from East Tennessee State University and served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army Reserve for several years before joining the sheriff ’s office.
“I always looked up to him,” his brother said. “I can honestly say I never saw him lose his temper. He was always calm, he always tried to use logic in every situation. He was loving, caring – there was not a better guy out there. I wish parts of me could be more like him. I’ll work on that every day as long as I’m here.”
Community members, elected officials and police officers from around the region honored him at a Knox County funeral in October.
Katarina, told mourners gathered at Clear Springs Baptist Church in Corryton that her husband was an excellent father and loved his family deeply.
“He was so much more than the fallen officer we know today,” she said. “Even in the most difficult times, he found courage – an attribute I like to think we can now share.”
The Hendrik Blakely Education Fund was set up with the help of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and donations can be made to the Hendrik Blakely Education Fund at Knoxville Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union, 501 E. Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville TN 37915.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.