The Carter County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident in which a Carter County man shot himself in the head during a standoff with officers.
On Thursday shortly before 8 p.m., officers of the Sheriff’s Department responded to a home in the Sciota community located in the southwest end of the county on a report that a man was armed with a gun and a domestic violence incident was possibly occurring in the home.
“While enroute, officers were advised that the female managed to flee the residence, leaving the male inside,” Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said.
When officers arrived on the scene they found the man, whose name has not been released, yelling and in an agitated state.
“Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and were trying to talk to the man through the open front door,” Lunceford said. “The man then appeared with a weapon in the threshold of the front door and was yelling at officers.”
Officers continued trying to talk with the man and calm him down and instructed him several times to put the gun down, Lunceford said.
“The man ignored officer’s commands and retreated into the home,” Lunceford said. “Officers approached the front door still commanding him to drop the weapon. As the officers neared the front door of the residence, the man pointed the weapon towards himself and discharged the weapon with a single shot to the head.”
Members of the Carter County Rescue Squad were summoned to the home and immediately began giving the man medical treatment when they arrived. The man was transported by Wings Air Rescue to the Johnson City Medical Center for treatment. He was listed in critical condition at the time of his transport.
On Friday, the man was still alive and receiving treatment at the hospital, Lunceford said.
No officers were injured in the incident, Lunceford said.
“I’m sure they were pretty shaken up, though, because they were close to him when it happened,” he said.
The investigation is ongoing and Lunceford said the man’s identity is not being released at this time.
“We don’t normally release names with suicides and that’s what this was, a suicide attempt,” he said. “It was just a bad situation all around.”