Two Blount County Sheriff's Office deputies were shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon while responding to a domestic call in Rockford, as reported by WVLT. The deputies, identified as Edward Walker and Corbin Smith, were familiar with the residence on Jacob Springs Road, having been called to the location for domestic issues in the past. Sheriff James Lee Berrong described a harrowing scene in which the suspect, 59-year-old Ronald Reed Millsaps, barricaded himself and fired an estimated 150-300 rounds from a high-powered rifle at the deputies.
According to statements provided by Sheriff Berrong, Deputies Walker and Smith were struck in the legs but fortunately sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's office revealed that Deputies were trapped behind their cars for "a long period of time" before they were able to take Millsaps into custody around 5:10 p.m., as detailed in coverage by WBIR.
Millsaps had never been previously arrested by the BCSO and had weapons stashed "in every area of the house, in the window seals and beside the doors," Berrong said. "He was ready for a battle, and that’s what he came to us with," echoed the Sheriff's briefing, according to the information shared by WVLT. One deputy was released from the hospital on the same day while the other was kept overnight for observation.
The situation has brought a flood of mutual aid from neighboring law enforcement agencies including the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the US Marshals Service. Marian O’Briant, a spokesperson for the BCSO, expressed the impact of the shooting on the department. "It hits hard. This should not be happening again, and it’s happening," she told WVLT, referring to another recent fatal shooting of a deputy within the same force. Early investigations suggest that Millsaps faces several felony charges.
Local citizens have been rattled by the intensity of the incident, with one neighbor reporting he'd lived in the area for six years and had "never seen anything like this." The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading the ongoing investigation into the officer-involved shooting. The community has rallied to support the injured deputies with fundraisers and messages wishing for a swift recovery. Details of this support and further updates on their condition are available on sites like WVLT and WHNT.
