Grand jury says Sullivan County officers justified in returning fire in January incident in Bluff City
Sullivan County authorities have closed their cases involving an officer-involved shooting last month in Bluff City and the suspect’s subsequent death three days later.
A grand jury concluded officers were justified in returning fire after Alan Coulter shot at them from an outbuilding and wounding Deputy Evan Wade following an attempted traffic stop.
The jury was also presented TBI evidence and ruled Sullivan County Jail guards could not have presented nor acted any faster in preventing Coulter’s suicide on Jan. 24th inside his cell.
Here are the reports issued by District Attorney Barry Staubus’ office on Monday:
– JAN. 21 OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING
On January 21, 2022, at approximately 12:45 AM, patrol noticed a vehicle with a taillight out and speeding on Riley Hollow Road in Bluff City. They initiated their blue lights and pursued the evading suspect, ending at a private property which had several outbuildings. Officers announced their presence several times as they searched the outbuildings, finding the suspect in the last building, sitting on a stool with his gun at the ready. The suspect fired first, striking an officer in the left thigh, breaking his femur and continuing through his leg to cause additional damage. Officers returned fire and the injured officer was pulled away from the structure by his patrol partner. Shots were exchanged while officers awaited SWAT to arrive. SWAT negotiated with the suspect to no avail. They exchanged rounds and eventually gassed the building, attempting to cause the suspect to exit. The suspect emerged at approximately 9:00 AM with a semi-automatic handgun. He was taken into custody and transported to the Sullivan County jail. During a taped interview, the suspect admitted to shooting first and stated that officers had every right to fire at him. He corroborated all the details the officers gave in their reports and was relieved to hear that he hadn’t killed the officer. Attorney General Staubus contacted the TBI, as per protocol, and Agent Emily Doran was assigned to this case. Agent Doran thoroughly investigated the scene, reviewed the suspect’s statement, watched video footage obtained at the booking, and spoke with officers involved in the case. Based on exhibits, video footage and testimony, this Grand Jury determined that having been fired upon first, returning fire was justified. No excessive force was used by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s officers and no further action is required.
-INMATE DEATH INVESTIGATION
This suspect was booked into the Sullivan County jail on January 21, 2022, at approximately 10:00 AM. After having signed the booking questionnaire stating he was not suicidal, the suspect was placed in a cell with two other inmates. During the 80 hours the inmate was incarcerated, over 185 cell checks were conducted, which is double the amount mandated. At approximately 6:27 PM on January 24, 2022, jail recording showed the inmate placing his covers over his body and head, sitting next to the wall. The inmate was mostly covered but can be seen tying a thin piece of fabric ripped from the inside of jail laundry baskets around a handicap rail. Although not visible by camera, it can be concluded he then placed the fabric around his neck in order to hang himself. After several minutes, his body was seen jerking and his face appeared blue and purple. At 6:43 PM his cellmates awakened and clearly distraught, one covered the camera in order to alert the guards while the other began banging on the door attempting to get help. There was a full response from guards, including medical personnel within one minute of the cellmates’ alerting. The inmate was transferred to the hospital where he was put on life support. Family members had him removed from life support after he was shown to be brain dead. Attorney General Staubus contacted TBI to investigate, per protocol. TBI Agent Emily Doran testified to the Grand Jury that her investigation included watching video from the cell, speaking with the cellmates of the deceased, jail guards, and the pathologist that performed the autopsy. The pathologist reported that the cause of death was clearly suicide by strangulation. There were no injuries on the inmate’s body other than ligature marks and petechia which is conducive with death in this manner. After viewing the jail recording, seeing many photographs of the body, and hearing testimony, this Grand Jury concluded that the inmate committed suicide and that jail guards could not have prevented nor acted any faster to get help for the inmate.
(IMAGE: J. Olsen / Bristol Broadcasting Co News)