KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 12, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — An officer-involved shooting at a Knoxville high school has left one male dead and one in custody, and a police officer hospitalized after being shot.
The Knoxville Police Department says a shooting has occurred at Austin-East High School, in Tennessee.
“Multiple agencies are on the scene of a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School. Multiple gunshot victims reported, including a KPD officer,” the department’s 1:52 p.m. (MDT, 3:52 p.m. EDT) tweet says. “The investigation remains active at this time. Please avoid the area.”
A subsequent news release, issued at 3:21 p.m. MST (5:21 Eastern time) by the department, says police were called to the scene because of an armed male seen in the school.
“At around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to an officer-involved shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School,” the police statement says. “Based on the preliminary investigation, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to Austin-East Magnet High School on the report of a male subject who was possibly armed in the school.
“Upon approach of the subject, shots were fired. A KPD officer was struck at least one time and transported to the UT Medical Center with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening. One male was pronounced deceased at the scene, while another was detained for further investigation. There are no other known gunshot victims. Per standard protocol for officer-involved shootings, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will lead the investigation.”
The officer who was shot in conscious and alert, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said in a live news interview. Kincannon said she was glad she got the chance to meet with the injured officer and his wife. Kincannon said the officer stated he was happy to take the shots so others didn’t have to.
