Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) special agents are actively examining the circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting that took place early Sunday morning at the Maury County Sheriff’s Office. This investigation was initiated at the request of Brent Cooper, the District Attorney General for the 22nd Judicial District.
Preliminary reports indicate that deputies were dispatched to a gas station located in the 2400 block of New Lewisburg Highway in Columbia around 3 a.m. on Sunday. The call was prompted by concerns regarding potential drug-related activity and a disturbance involving a couple. Upon their arrival, deputies found a man and a woman seated in a vehicle parked beside the gas station.
During the course of the investigation, the situation escalated when the man, later identified as 25-year-old Clayton Tyler Dodson, brandished a firearm and opened fire on one of the deputies, striking him in the protective vest. In response, deputies returned fire, resulting in Dodson sustaining injuries that ultimately led to his death at a local hospital. Fortunately, the deputy involved sustained only minor injuries from the incident.
TBI investigators are diligently working to gather evidence and conduct interviews to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to the shooting. Throughout this process, the District Attorney General will be kept informed of the findings at each stage for his review and further consideration. It is important to note that the TBI’s role is strictly to collect facts and does not extend to making judgments about the appropriateness of an officer’s actions in such situations. That determination rests with the District Attorney General, who requested the TBI’s involvement in this case.