KNOXVILLE, TN. (THECOUNT) — Caleb Barber, 31, was shot and killed by a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sunday morning at a Weigel’s gas station on Clinton Highway in Powell, Tennessee, as state agents investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said deputies responded shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 25 after 911 callers reported a man with a gun in the parking lot who was acting erratically.
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According to the TBI, a deputy made contact with Barber after arriving at the business in the 7500 block of Clinton Highway. The encounter escalated for reasons that remain under investigation, and the deputy fired shots, striking Barber. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No deputies were injured, the agency said.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office had previously reported that deputies shot a person who was “acting erratically.” The TBI later identified the deceased man as Barber in an update to its initial announcement.
The TBI is investigating at the request of 6th Judicial District Attorney General Charme Allen. Special agents are gathering evidence and conducting interviews to establish the sequence of events leading to the shooting.
The agency will share its findings with the district attorney general for review. The TBI said it serves as a fact-finder in officer-involved shooting investigations and does not determine whether an officer’s actions were justified. That decision rests with the district attorney general who requested the investigation.
The shooting occurred along Clinton Highway in Knox County, in the Knoxville area of East Tennessee. The reported business location is in the 7500 block of Clinton Highway; a more specific address was not provided in the TBI announcement.
Google Maps: 7500 block of Clinton Highway, Knoxville, TN (approximate incident area)
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