A Madisonville police officer shot a former Tennessee Department of Human Services employee inside the agency's Monroe County office Tuesday afternoon, after the armed man refused commands and officers say he was carrying two pistols. The shooting happened around 4:53 p.m. at the DHS building on 680 Anderson Street, sending the man to a Knoxville hospital and triggering a state investigation into the officer's use of force.
Officers responded to the Anderson Street office after receiving a report of a former employee inside the building armed with a firearm, according to WZTV. The first officer arrived in less than a minute, and police say the responding Madisonville officer encountered an individual armed with two pistols who refused commands before the officer fired a service weapon, striking him. Officers then provided immediate medical aid before the man was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center; his condition was still unknown as of Tuesday night, per the same report.
No law enforcement officers or state employees were hurt during the encounter, according to WBIR, which also reported that officers responded within a minute of receiving reports of an armed former worker inside the building. The identity of the man who was shot has not been released, and the identity of the officer involved has also not been disclosed. Per the WZTV report, the officer will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard department procedure following such incidents.
DHS Office Disrupted, Appointments Rescheduled
The shooting forced immediate changes to public services at the Anderson Street facility. DHS administrators announced that in-person appointments scheduled at the Madisonville office for the week would instead be conducted by phone or rescheduled, according to WBIR. The Madisonville facility is a Tennessee Department of Human Services office in Monroe County, according to a Tennessee Department of Human Services announcement.
Madisonville, the historic county seat of Monroe County, recorded a population of 5,132 in the 2020 census, according to Wikipedia. The county itself had an estimated population of 46,250 as of the 2020 census, according to Ballotpedia.
TBI Investigation and Prosecutorial Review
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now investigating what led to the shooting, with agents set to collect evidence and conduct interviews before turning their findings over to the district attorney general for review, according to WZTV. Tenth Judicial District Attorney General Stephen Hatchett requested the independent investigation. Hatchett was elected to the post in 2024, according to the Tennessee Bar Association.
Under Tennessee statutory procedure, TBI special agents act strictly as independent, objective fact-finders in officer-involved shooting inquiries, submitting physical evidence and witness interviews to the district attorney general without making legal charging recommendations, per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The requesting district attorney general makes the determination after the TBI completes its review.
One of Dozens of Cases Statewide This Year
The Madisonville shooting marked one of 35 officer-involved shootings statewide that the TBI was called to investigate during 2026, according to state data. The Madisonville Police Department operates under the leadership of Police Chief Danny Russell and Police Commissioner Ed Dawson, according to the Madisonville Police Department.
The TBI publishes statewide use-of-force reports. The case comes as TBI investigates other officer-involved shootings, including a Clarksville officer-involved shooting. Key details remain unresolved, including the identity of the man who was shot, his current medical condition, the specifics of his prior employment at the DHS office, and what may have motivated the armed confrontation.
