No Charges To Be FiledAgainst Officers In May Shooting
No charges will be filed against a Cocke County deputy and a Parrottsville police officer regarding a shooting that happened back on May 23 that resulted in the death of an evading suspect.
The officers involved had spotted Whitney Leanne Fox on Hwy 321 in the Parrottsville area. They knew she was wanted on several outstanding warrants. They attempted a traffic stop, but Fox would not pull over and a pursuit began. That pursuit ended when Fox drove into a field along Fox Hollow Road near Bybee.
Both officers then approached Fox’s 2007 Cadillac Escalade. According to the District Attorney’s investigation, Fox ignored over 40 commands by officers to surrender and gave no sign that she was willing to surrender without one of the officers manually and forcefully entering the vehicle. When one of the officers tried to break the window of Fox’s SUV, she abruptly moved the vehicle in reverse. Both officers were in danger of being struck and that is when they opened fire as they feared for their own safety. According to a memo from the District Attorney’s office regarding their investigation, “Both deputies were placed in the position of being on foot in an open field with a driver who had no intention of surrendering and who was in command of a fully operational vehicle, which could reasonably be considered a deadly weapon.”
The report on the incident shows that officers fired a total of 22 shots, 13 of those striking Fox. Toxicology reports showed meth in her system, double the amount normally associated with irrational and violent behavior in meth abusers. Footage from bodycams worn by the officers assisted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in their investigation of the shooting. The DA says after looking at all the evidence, they concluded the officers acted in self defense and will not be charged.