Josh Peterson

According to Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott, a preliminary autopsy performed on the male subject who died Saturday after exchanging gunfire with a Tennessee State Trooper indicates the subject died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Northcott told Thunder Radio News that the motorist “died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”
Northcott requested a TBI investigation after the incident took place at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 24 in Coffee County.

According to the TBI, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was dispatched to a crash on I-24 westbound. Upon arrival, the trooper observed a car in the median near mile marker 120. While the trooper was working the crash, the driver walked over to the car and retrieved a gun. For reasons still under investigation, the man fired the weapon, resulting in the trooper returning fire. The male subject was pronounced dead at the scene.

Northcott told Thunder Radio News the trooper fired twice, striking the vehicle with those shots but there was “no indication of them striking the motorist.”

Northcott released further information after an erroneous report from The Tullahoma News was published online Tuesday, claiming that the motorist “was fatally wounded by return fire” from the trooper. Northcott challenged The Tullahoma News on Facebook, saying the story was “irresponsible reporting.” Northcott added that “you cannot be trusted to accurately report the news,” when addressing The News report.

The TBI continues to investigate this incident, according to Northcott.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, there are now 16,111 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee. There have been 8,336 recoveries, leaving 7,775 active cases. This is approximately 269 more active cases than the prior day across the entire state.

There have been 265 confirmed deaths and 1,363 hospitalizations. There have been 283,924 total tests performed, meaning about 5.67% of those tested are testing positive. This is down slightly from 5.69 percent from the prior day.

Meanwhile, in Coffee County there remain 54 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. There are now 29 recoveries, leaving 25 active cases in the county. There have been 1,569 negative tests in Coffee County, meaning of those tested about 3.33 percent are testing positive.

Tullahoma High School officials have announced that the school’s Class of 2020 seniors will receive a drive-thru graduation.

The ceremony will be held at Wilkins Stadium and will be livestreamed through LightTube TV on Friday, May 22. This will be a large time window, from 1 to 6 p.m., with students having designated times to arrive. Graduates will be able to leave their vehicles to walk across the stage and receive diplomas.

Students and families are encouraged to decorate vehicles.

Coffee County Central High School will also be graduating in a parade of graduates on Friday, May 22. This parade will begin at Raider Academy, turn on Waite Street, go around the downtown square and end up at Central High School, where students will receive their diploma in the school’s well-known “circle” area near the main entrance. The CHS graduation will be heard live on Thunder Radio and video streamed at www.thunder1320.com

Coffee County continues to show high self-response to the United States Census through online, mail and telephone avenues.

As of Tuesday, the self-response rate of Coffee County is at 65.6 percent. That is good enough for fifth best response rate in the entire state of Tennessee. Coffee County has remained in the top five for self-response since the census began accepting responses in March.

Williamson County leads the way in Tennessee with a self response rate of 71.6, about six percent ahead of Coffee County.

Coffee County is ahead of the state response rate of 58.6 and the national rate of 58.7.
If you have not yet filled out your census, you can do so by clicking here. You can also complete your Census by calling 1-800-354-7271 or filling out the form you received in the mail.

If you do not self-response, someone will knock on your door to obtain the information.
The Census, which is completed every 10 years and mandated by the US Constitution, helps to determine funding for hospitals, schools, transportation, grants and other important projects. In Coffee County, it is estimated that for every person who is not counted, we will miss out on about $11,000 in federal funding that will not go toward local projects. This money will instead need to be accounted for through local tax revenues.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, there are now 15,544 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee. This includes 251 deaths and 1,344 hospitalizations.

There are 8,038 cases classified as recovered, leaving 7,506 active cases – this is about 49 more cases than the previous day.

There have been 273,277 total tests performed in Tennessee, meaning about 5.69 percent of those tested are testing positive. This is down slightly from the previous day in terms of percentage of positive results from those tested.

In Coffee County, there are 54 confirmed cases of the virus and 28 recoveries. This means there are 26 active cases, which is two fewer active cases than the previous day. There have been 1,559 negative labs in Coffee County, which means about 3.35 percent of those tested in Coffee county are testing positive. This is down from 3.7 percent the prior day.

Coffee County Central High will be registering all students for classes over the next several weeks starting with rising sophomores on Thursday, May 14.

Students will come in for registration based on their last name and upcoming grade level. Students will meet in the cafeteria with their assigned counselor. Students are required to remain six feet away from the next person in line.

Although not required, students are allowed to have one parent or guardian attend for registration.

Siblings or multiple parents will not be allowed in order to ensure social distancing and safety. Click here for a link to all registration times per grade and name range (Each grade level has its own tab).

The Tennessee Gas Price average is up this week after declining for nearly 10 consecutive weeks. The state gas price average is now $1.60 which is six cents more expensive than last week, four cents less than one month ago and 98 cents less than one year ago.

Average price in Coffee County is $1.67 per gallon of regular unleaded as of noon Monday.

“Tennessee motorists are seeing the first increases at the pump since late February,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The boost in demand as the state begins its phased reopening is helping to push pump prices higher across the state.”

Quick Facts

· 33% of TN filling stations have sub-$1.50 gas prices
· Tennessee is the 9th least expensive market in the nation
· Tennessee gas prices declined for 69 consecutive days for a total discount of 70 cents per gallon
· The lowest 10% of pump prices are $1.37 for regular unleaded
· The highest 10% of pump prices are $1.94 for regular unleaded

National Gas Prices

The national gas price average is six cents more expensive on the week at $1.84, but still cheaper on the month and year – three cents and $1.02 less, respectively. Regardless of the national increase, 40 states still have averages of $2.00 or less per gallon.

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest data report showed demand for gasoline increased by 800,000 b/d to 6.7 million b/d last week, which is 3.2 million b/d less than last year at this time. Gas demand is expected to continue to grow, leading pump prices to continue their increase.

At the request of 14th District Attorney General Craig Northcott, TBI Special Agents are investigating the circumstances that led to an officer-involved shooting Saturday afternoon in Coffee County.

Preliminary information indicates the incident began at approximately 3:00 PM, when a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was dispatched to a crash along I-24 West in Coffee County. Upon arrival, the trooper observed a car in the median, near mile marker 120. While the trooper was working the crash, the driver walked over to the car and retrieved a gun. For reasons still under investigation, the man fired the weapon, resulting in the trooper returning fire. The male subject was pronounced dead at the scene. The trooper was not injured.

TBI Special Agents continue to work to gather any and all relevant interviews and evidence. As in any case, TBI’s investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General throughout the process for his consideration.
The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to their respective agency.