There’s Way More To That Knoxville Police Involved Shooting That Killed A Black Student Than Initially Reported + DA Refuses To Release Bodycam Video

More details about the deadly Knoxville police shooting that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Anthony Thompson Jr. are trickling in and there’s way more details about the incident that weren’t initially reported. Get it all inside…

A 17-year-old Knoxville high school student was shot and killed by police this week.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified Anthony J. Thompson Jr. as the student who was gunned down by cops inside a restroom in Austin-East Magnet High School on Monday, April 12th. However, there are way more questions than answers about what actually happened following the fatal shooting.

When news about the shooting first hit the Internet, Anthony Jr. was painted out to be a school shooter who supposedly wounded a police officer by shooting him in the hip during a struggle in the bathroom. It was also originally reported Anthony Jr. had a gun on him and that he shot a police officer before another officer returned fire.

Well, that doesn’t seem to be the case exactly, especially since reports of multiple other people being shot still haven't been confirmed.

 

Residents of Knoxville heard another story from another teen who was inside that bathroom though. He claimed there was a scuffle between Ant and the officer. The officer went to draw his gun and shot himself in the hip. The next day, TBI released this information. pic.twitter.com/uiYNMSWeVp

— Opossum Press (@OpossumPress) April 15, 2021

 

As of now, the TBI isn’t sure how the wounded officer – Adam Wilson - was shot. After the initial report about the shooting, the TBI issued a new statement that said Wilson’s gunshot wound was either self-inflicted or the result of gunfire from another officer. The shot that wounded Officer Wilson was NOT fired from Anthony’s gun, but Anthony’s gun was fired at some point.

 

KPD Officer Adam Willson is recovering from surgery after being wounded in yesterday’s shooting incident at Austin-East Magnet High School. Willson, a 20-year veteran of KPD, was currently serving as the School Resource Officer at Austin-East. We are grateful for the well wishes. pic.twitter.com/wDcBGnxT9d

— Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) April 13, 2021

 

KnoxNews reports:

Within five hours of the shooting, TBI Director David Rausch said Thompson "reportedly fired shots" at officers as they entered the restroom, hitting Willson in the upper leg, and that police then returned fire.

That story changed dramatically when the TBI released a new statement Wednesday afternoon. The TBI maintained that Thompson had a gun but said preliminary tests showed the bullet that hit Willson did not, in fact, come from Thompson's gun. The new statement said officers struggled with Thompson, and that Thompson's gun "was fired" during the struggle. It did not say who fired the gun.

Police then fired twice, the TBI said.

Authorities identified the officer wounded as Willson — Austin-East's school resource officer — but have not said whether Willson fired his gun.

The TBI's new statement implies Willson's gunshot wound was either self-inflicted or the result of gunfire from another officer, but it does not include additional details. Willson underwent surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and is recovering.

It’s confirmed - supposedly - Anthony had a gun at some point, his gun was fired, a struggle ensued in the restroom, and Anthony didn’t shoot the officer. It’s unknown how Anthony’s gun was fired, who shot the officer, how Anthony got the gun and who made the first report with the false information.

Anthony Jr. was pronounced dead at the school. He’s the FIFTH teenager fatally shot in Knoxville so far this year and all five of them were either current or recent Austin-East students.

According to reports, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon asked Knox County's top prosecutor to release redacted body-camera video from the police shooting, but District Attorney General Charme Allen said no, citing the ongoing investigation.

Eleven days before the shooting, the city rolled out brand-new body cameras to Knoxville Police Department officers and officers' cameras were on at the time.

 

I hear and feel the frustration, pain and anguish as we grapple with the tragic shooting inside Austin-East High School. I support releasing any incident videos to the media & public as soon as it is legally allowed. I am committed to transparency 1/5

— Mayor Kincannon (@MayorKincannon) April 14, 2021

 

"I hear and feel the frustration, pain and anguish as we grapple with the tragic shooting inside Austin-East High School," Mayor Kincannon wrote on social media. "I support releasing any incident videos to the media & public as soon as it is legally allowed. I am committed to transparency and hope that a greater understanding of the circumstances will help our city heal."

 

Nonetheless, I have requested that District Attorney General Charme Allen allow the City to release redacted footage from the shooting inside Austin-East High School. 3/5

— Mayor Kincannon (@MayorKincannon) April 14, 2021

 

"I agree that the community has a right to see this," she said. "I agree that you, as the press, have a right to see this. It's just a timing issue."

"We're talking about a 17-year-old kid who has a family who loves him very much," she said. "I would let them view that video in the privacy of my office before it would be released."

 

of the on-going investigation and to protect the constitutional rights of anyone who might be charged as a result of this investigation.

I will continue to push for transparency and communication as this investigation continues. 5/5

— Mayor Kincannon (@MayorKincannon) April 14, 2021

 

Mayor Kincannon said Charme Allen declined to release the bodycam footage “in order to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation and to protect the constitutional rights of anyone who might be charged as a result of this investigation."

"We're talking about a 17-year-old kid who has a family who loves him very much," she said. "I would let them view that video in the privacy of my office before it would be released."

Well, they need to hurry this investigation up and release this footage because something seems shady here.

 

Photo: Anthony's Family

source: theybf