Rutherford County was the site of an officer-involved shooting this morning, causing a significant closure of Interstate 24's eastbound lanes, according to reports from local media outlets.
The incident began unfolding around 2 a.m. near mile marker 83, shutting down traffic and prompting an investigation that lasted hours; it wasn't until roughly 5 a.m. that one lane reopened to allow some traffic to flow—all this while the Joe B Jackson Parkway also faced blockages that have since been cleared, reported WKRN.
While initial statements from officials painted the scene as a response to a multi-vehicle crash, it later emerged that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) was summoned due to the shooting which involved a deputy from the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office and a suspect; thankfully, no officers were reported injured in the confrontation, detailed NewsChannel5.
The TBI's involvement indicates the gravity of the incident and their agents were seen focusing on a dark-colored van that was pulled off to the side of the road, the nature of the encounter that led to the shooting remains shrouded in some measure of uncertainty at this time, but ongoing investigations are expected to yield a clearer picture of the events that transpired, as indicated by WSMV.
