TBI investigating officer involved shooting in Hawkins County

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (WVLT) - At the request of 3rd District Attorney General Dan Armstrong, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday night in Hawkins County.

TBI said in a statement that preliminary information indicates at 9:30 p.m. May 24, a deputy with the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office observed what appeared to be an abandoned car in the VFW Auxiliary parking lot, located at 200 N VFW Road in Bulls Gap.

Investigators said while the deputy was investigating the vehicle, the deputy heard a female call out to him. The deputy made contact with the woman who stated her husband, identified as 44 year-old Michael Snyder.

Police say that Snyder walked into a nearby wooded area and mentioned harming himself. Snyder’s had an active warrant out of Hamblen County for Failure to Appear.

Additional Hawkins County deputies, along with a K9 team from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene to assist in searching for Snyder.

Deputies located Snyder a short distance away and discovered he had climbed a tree. TBI said that at some point during the confrontation, Snyder reportedly fired a weapon at deputies. One Hawkins County deputy and the Greene County deputy returned fire, striking him. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No deputies were injured during the incident.