TBI special agents are investigating a Sullivan County officer-involved shooting that killed a man at a Kingsport apartment complex Sunday morning. Four Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office deputies fired their weapons, the TBI said.
2nd Judicial District Attorney General Barry Staubus asked the TBI to investigate the circumstances that led to the shooting.
What investigators say happened
Just before 8:00 a.m., deputies went to an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Bloomingdale Pike. They had received information that
Joshua Delp, who had outstanding felony warrants, was there.
Deputies found Delp, and he was armed with a gun, according to preliminary information from the TBI. The agency said the situation escalated “for reasons still under investigation.” Four deputies fired shots and struck Delp.
Delp died at the scene. No deputies were hurt.
The TBI has not said what the felony warrants were for. It also has not said what led deputies to fire.
What the TBI’s role is
Agents are working to determine independently the series of events that led to the shooting. They are collecting evidence and conducting interviews.
The TBI will share its findings with Staubus for his review. The agency said it acts solely as a fact-finder in these cases and does not decide whether an officer’s actions were justified. That decision belongs to the district attorney general who requested the investigation.
The TBI does not identify officers involved in these incidents. It refers those questions to the officers’ department.
The agency said it will post updates at TBINewsroom.com.
Other recent TBI investigations
The TBI has opened several similar reviews around the state. Earlier, agents investigated a fatal officer-involved shooting at a Pigeon Forge hotel. Readers can find more coverage on the shooting topic page.
