Anthony Thompson is identified as the student who was shot and killed by police Monday at Austin-East Magnet High School and said the shot that wounded a police officer in the confrontation was not fired from Thompson’s gun.
Age
He was 17 years old.
Incident Details
According to the Knoxville Police Department, law enforcement from multiple departments was called to the school at about 3:15 p.m. Monday, April 12, after an officer-involved shooting report.
A preliminary investigation indicated police responded to the report of an armed male in the school, and a gunfight broke out.
Police said Thompson allegedly brought a gun into the school, where officers were called for an armed student’s reports.
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They found Thompson in the bathroom at the school and ordered him out, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Director David Rausch said during a Monday evening press conference.
Thompson allegedly refused to come out. Instead, he started firing shots at the police. Officers returned fire, and Thompson was fatally shot, Rausch said. One of the responding officers was shot in the hip.
Victims
Officer Adam Willson, white, was struck in the upper leg, and he underwent surgery at a hospital.
The TBI will hand over the results of its investigation to the district attorney when complete.
The shooting comes as the community reels from off-campus gun violence that has left three other Austin-East students dead this year. Classes at the high school have been canceled through Monday.
Anthony Thompson Shot And Killed
Police ordered the student, who is Black, to leave the bathroom, but he would not comply, Rausch said.
“As officers entered the restroom, the subject reportedly fired shots, striking an officer,” said a TBI statement about the shooting released Monday.
Police fired twice, and Thompson was shot and killed, the TBI said.
Investigation
On Wednesday, the TBI revised its account in a second statement on the shooting, saying the student’s gun was fired during a struggle with an officer.
“Preliminary examinations indicate the bullet that struck the KPD officer was not fired from the student’s handgun,” the TBI statement released Wednesday said.
Officers fired the only other gunshots cited in the report. The TBI declined to answer a follow-up question about whether an officer’s bullet struck the officer.
