At around 7 PM on Tuesday, emergency services responded to a call about a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle on Hough Road. Witnesses reported that a 2016 GMC Sierra, driven by 73-year-old Larry Franklin Palmer of Iron City, was observed circling the parking lot before aggressively accelerating and swerving, hitting a 68-year-old victim from Rogersville and knocking him to the ground. Following the incident, Palmer allegedly exited the truck and brandished a revolver, causing the victim to seek refuge inside a nearby store while Palmer fled the scene.
Later, at 7:30 PM, officers were summoned to a local hospital where staff had found a firearm in the possession of a patient who had just been admitted. Upon their arrival, the gun was secured, and it was revealed that the patient was Palmer. Subsequent investigation uncovered an ongoing legal dispute between Palmer and the victim in Tennessee.
Following his release from the hospital, Palmer was arrested on charges of attempted murder and tampering with a witness. He is currently being held at the Lauderdale County Detention Center on a $60,300 bond. The victim, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was treated and subsequently discharged.