Note: This story was updated at 9:10 a.m.
A 45-year-old man shot himself with a shotgun after a traffic stop on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday night and after the Oak Ridge Police Department tried to negotiate with him, authorities said.
The initial call came in at about 10:26 p.m. Tuesday, November 3. ORPD officers were dispatched to the area near the intersection of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue, after Oak Ridge Fire Department personnel reported three cars that appeared to be racing westbound from that location.
One officer stopped a 1999 Toyota pickup truck on the Oak Ridge Turnpike west of Louisiana Avenue for a speed violation, an ORPD press release said. The 45-year-old male driver, and sole occupant of the truck, exited the vehicle brandishing a 20-gauge shotgun, officers said.
The male subject then refused to comply with the officer’s repeated orders to place the weapon on the ground, and he proceeded to walk away from his vehicle while holding the barrel of the shotgun under his chin, the ORPD said. Numerous officers responded to the scene to assist in containing the male subject, who continued to pace back and forth on the sidewalk near his vehicle, the Police Department said.
A Crisis Intervention Team member arrived and started negotiating with the man, who continued to ignore commands to place the shotgun on the ground, authorities said.
At approximately 11:01 p.m., the man shot himself in the face, the ORPD press release said. A Lifestar medical helicopter was called.
Oak Ridge Fire Department and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services personnel immediately rendered aid to the victim, who was later flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville by a Lifestar air ambulance that landed at nearby Big Turtle Park.
The man’s name hasn’t been released, and information on his condition wasn’t available Wednesday morning.
The Oak Ridge Turnpike was closed for several hours between Louisiana Avenue and West Lincoln Road late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning as police and fire units investigated the shooting. Traffic was detoured down West Lincoln Road.
The Anderson County and Roane County sheriff’s departments responded to the scene and helped with traffic control throughout the incident. Personnel from the ORPD Criminal Investigations Division and the Anderson County Attorney General’s Office also responded to the scene to help.
“The Oak Ridge Police Department is extremely grateful for all services rendered by responding agencies during this incident,” the press release said. “No further information will be released at this time pending notification to the victim’s immediate family.”
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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