TN plant shooting suspect found dead after standoff on I-40, victims ‘stable’ police chief says
The suspect reportedly shot two people at the Hutchinson Plant in Overton County before engaging in a standoff with police on the interstate in Roane County.
LIVINGSTON, Tenn. (WSMV) - New: Livingston Police Department (LPD) Chief Ray Smith spoke with the media following a shooting in the parking lot of the Hutchinson Plant on Friday.
Smith reported that at about 7 a.m. officers responded to the reported shooting at 315 Airport Road. Upon arrival, officers found two victims, who were plant employees, with gunshot wounds. The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived.
Several other agencies joined LPD in the search for the suspect. Eventually, the suspect was stopped on Interstate 40 in Roane County and a standoff ensued.
The suspect was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in their vehicle. The standoff situation caused major traffic issues in the area and I-40 East remains closed at this time.
Chief Smith added that the victims of the shooting are believed to be in stable condition at this time.
10:30 a.m. Update: The Tennessee Highway Patrol reports that the suspected Overton County plant shooter was found dead in his vehicle during a standoff on Interstate 40 in Roane County.
Troopers were attempting to negotiate with the suspect, but later found the suspect dead “from a prior wound.” Meanwhile, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security reports the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
No THP troopers fire their weapons during their standoff, THP’s Bill Miller reports.
“Eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 will remain closed temporarily while the investigation is ongoing. Motorists are encouraged to monitor updates from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for the latest traffic information,” the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said.
Earlier: Two people were shot and the search for the suspect has led law enforcement to the interstate in Roane County.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is in a standoff with a suspect on I-40 after he fled the shooting scene in Overton County, according to Jason Pack with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The interstate is shut down in both directions from Rockwood Airport Road to Roane Street in Roane County as negotiations continue with the suspect at mile marker 342.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sent agents to investigate the incident. The THP has a heavy presence on I-40 in that area, including air surveillance.
“The Tennessee Highway Patrol and other local agencies are on the scene of a barricaded subject in a vehicle on Interstate 40 in Roane County,” THP reported. “State Troopers and THP Negotiators are working to resolve the situation peacefully.”
Two people were shot in the parking lot of the Hutchinson plant early Friday morning, according to Overton County EMA. One is considered to be in critical condition and was air-lifted to a nearby hospital.
The plant was evacuated before the suspect reportedly fled the area.
Overton County Schools have dismissed students for the Christmas break but the campuses were placed in a “soft lockdown” out of caution, as some staff have reported to work on Friday.
Hutchinson has two plants in Livingston, Tennessee. It is unclear at which location the shooting occurred.
According to its website, Hutchinson designs and manufactures “solutions for a world on the move and contributes to future mobility on land, in the air and at sea.”
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