Law enforcement officers have released more information regarding a domestic disturbance investigation that ended Monday night with the suspect’s death.

Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford identified the suspect as 47-year-old Buford Whitson, of Elizabethton.

According to Lunceford, around 12:30 p.m. on Monday deputies with his department responded to a home on Big Springs Road about a report of a domestic disturbance involving an armed subject. When officers arrived, they met with a woman who said her husband, whom she identified as Whitson, had a gun and had struck her in the face.

“(The woman) had a swollen left eye, bloody nose, and busted mouth,” Lunceford said. “She stated that after assaulting her, Mr. Whitson exited the house with a .22 revolver threatening to shoot deputies when they arrived and stated that he wanted to die.”

The woman told officers Whitson had fled into the woods before they reached the home.

Deputies conducted an extensive search of the area using the department’s K-9s but were not able to find Whitson. The search around the home lasted until around 3:30 p.m.

The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries and deputies began the process to obtain warrants charging Whitson with aggravated assault under domestic violence.

On Monday evening, around 7:15 p.m., deputies passed Whitson driving a small Saturn vehicle as Whitson was headed into Elizabethton at the intersection of West G Street and the Old Elizabethton Highway.

Deputies caught up to Whitson in the area of  Sycamore Shoals Hospital and attempted to pull him over.

“Mr. Whitson fled turning onto Williams Avenue and eventually back onto West Elk Avenue heading toward Johnson City,” Lunceford said. “Mr. Whitson drove into oncoming traffic several times as he fled toward Johnson City on Highway 67.  While on Highway 67, Mr. Whitson drove Westbound in the east-bound lanes several times, through the median, back toward Elizabethton, and eventually back toward Johnson City.”

A deputy was able to get in front of Whitson’s vehicle with the intent to deploy spike strips to deflate Whitson’s tires and end the pursuit, according to Lunceford.

“When the Deputy deployed the spike strips, Mr. Whitson attempted to run over the officer,” Lunceford said.

The spike strips were successful in deflating Whitson’s tires, and his vehicle came to rest in the area of the Milligan Highway overpass on the shoulder of the oncoming east-bound lane with his vehicle heading west-bound.

“When Deputies approached Mr. Whitson’s vehicle, they discovered that he was armed with a snub-nosed, black revolver with the hammer cocked and the weapon pointed at his head,” Lunceford said. “Mr. Whitson refused to obey the Deputies commands to put the weapon down and surrender peacefully.”

“During negotiations with the Mr. Whitson, a non-lethal tactic was used to disarm him without success,” Lunceford added. “Mr. Whitson then pointed the pistol at a deputy, and Mr. Whitson was shot. Mr. Whitson was then transported to the Johnson City Medical Center where he was declared deceased.”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was called in to conduct an independent investigation of the incident since it was an officer-involved shooting, Lunceford said. That investigation is ongoing at this time, and Lunceford said any further information to be released about the incident would come from the TBI.

Monday was not the first time deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office had encountered Whitson regarding reports of domestic violence. According to court records, Whitson’s wife petitioned the court for an Order of Protection against her husband in November 2016. The court granted her request in December of 2016.

In April, deputies arrested Whitson on warrants charging him with domestic assault and violation of an Order of Protection in connection with a February incident where he was alleged to have assaulted his wife and violated a court order to stay away from her. Whitson had been scheduled to appear in Carter County General Sessions Court on Tuesday to answer those charges.