A teenage boy walking along the sidewalk near Church Street and South Lynn Avenue in Elizabethton was shot in the hip Thursday afternoon by someone firing from a moving vehicle, and police say the 17-year-old was armed too, returning fire at the car before it sped off. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was reported to be awake, with injuries that did not appear life-threatening.
The shooting happened at approximately 1 p.m. near Douglas Park and the Elizabethton City Schools administrative building, according to the Elizabethton Star. Police confirmed that the shooter fled the scene after firing on the teen, according to WCYB, and as of late Thursday afternoon no suspects had been publicly identified. Elizabethton Police Chief Jason Shaw confirmed the victim was awake and that the injuries did not appear life-threatening, per SuperTalk 92.9.
Schools Placed on Brief Precautionary Lockdown
Given the shooting's proximity to school district property, Elizabethton City Schools were placed on a soft lockdown as a precaution, but that order was lifted within an hour once police confirmed the incident was not school-related. The station's report notes the shooting took place near the administrative offices, prompting the brief security response before officers determined there was no connection to any campus.
Investigators believe the drive-by shooting was an isolated, targeted attack on the juvenile rather than a random incident, and officers do not believe the situation presents an ongoing threat to the community, per the same account from the Elizabethton Star. No motive for the targeted confrontation has been made public, and the identity of the vehicle and its occupant remain unknown.
What Charges Could Follow
Under Tennessee Code § 39-13-102, discharging a firearm at another person constitutes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Justia Law. Whether the fleeing suspect, once identified, or the teenage victim could face charges tied to the exchange of gunfire remains an open question, as does the vehicle's whereabouts.
A Snapshot of Crime Trends in the Region
The shooting comes as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 2025 Crime Report, released earlier this month, showed statewide murders dropped 18% from 2024 to 2025, according to the Kingsport Times News. Still, CrimeGrade.org's page describes a violent-crime measure for Elizabethton based on crime per capita, per CrimeGrade.org.
Thursday's shooting also landed on the same day that Carter County General Sessions Court revoked bond and amended charges to vehicular homicide and aggravated assault against a North Carolina driver involved in the August 19 Highway 19E crash that killed two Milligan University cyclists and injured seven others, the Elizabethton Star reported. The department leading the shooting investigation, under Chief Shaw, has also been mentioned in earlier coverage. Elizabethton police have also been the subject of other coverage.
