Federal lawsuit filed against SCSO

Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the county and three officers face a federal lawsuit related to the April 19, 2023 shooting death of a man outside a Blountville Dollar General store. Officers encountered Casey Crowley after a welfare check, slumped over in his pick up truck in the store parking lot. Upon reviving Crowley, officers said he became agitated and reached for a gun, and was then shot 4 times by deputies. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The seven-count federal lawsuit claims officers used excessive force and offers a different series of events than the official report describes. A Sullivan County grand jury reviewed a TBI report and determined Sgt. Michael Nygaard and Deputy Benjamin Beach men followed policy. Deputy Tyler McCready was the third officer named in the suit.