Sheriff's Officers Use Deadly Force

Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies are responsible for killing a man after they say he charged them with a knife. According to Deputy Chief Allen Branum, just after 10 p.m. Monday, Sheriff's dispatcher got a call about a stolen Jeep. An officer spotted the Jeep and pulled it over. But the driver then decided to flee toward Dolly Pond Road. Shortly after that, it turned up a private, dead end drive. Branum says by then, the backup officers were on the scene and the car stopped again. The officers ordered the driver to get out. Branum says the man had a knife in his hand and charged an officer. The officer then shot him while he was just a few feet away. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

"The officer did indicate he felt threatened" Branum said."The suspect had a knife. We had veteran officers there, they had been on the job for quite sometime."

Three officers were on the scene and Chief Deputy Branum didn't know what would be next for them. He thought they would be reassigned or put on leave.

"We hate the loss of life but these officers are trained to go home at end of shift, and do what's necessary," Branum said. "Deadly force was necessary in this case"

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating. Look for the latest on this developing story on newsChannel 9 Midday.