Deputy’s gun discharges during fight with inmate

A Sequatchie County inmate allegedly struggled for a deputy’s weapon before it discharged at a Dunlap health care facility causing minor injuries, and now the TBI and Dunlap police are investigating the shooting.

An inmate, who has not been named, allegedly grabbed a deputy’s firearm, and a struggle for the gun ensued, according to a news release from the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office. The incident happened at Erlanger-Sequatchie Valley on Rankin Avenue in Dunlap, about a mile from the Sequatchie County Justice Center.

“An off-duty deputy from a neighboring county assisted the correction officer in securing the inmate,” Sheriff Bill Phillips said in the release issued Sunday “There were minor injuries to those involved in the incident.”

When contacted by phone Monday, officials at the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide more details on why the inmate was at the emergency room, the identity of the inmate or deputies involved or disclose the nature of the injuries, deferring questions to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The TBI is leading the probe into the shooting incident, and no report or affidavit related to an arrest or charges was filed in General Sessions Court, according to officials at the Sequatchie County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.

The state agency was asked to investigate by District Attorney General Courtney Lynch, TBI spokesperson Josh DeVine said via email.

“TBI special agents are assisting the Dunlap Police Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding an incident at a medical facility in Dunlap Sunday, involving a Sequatchie County inmate, a Sequatchie County correctional officer and an off-duty Marion County deputy,” DeVine said. “The investigation remains ongoing.”