Greenback man shot and killed tr

Greenback man shot and killed trying to attack deputy with axe, authorities say

From staff reports

Authorities said a Greenback man shot and killed Sunday by a Blount County deputy was trying to attack the deputy with an ax.

Brian Rogers, 40, was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at a residence on Emert Williams Road in southwest Blount County.

Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in a news release the Blount County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as TBI agents investigate the incident.

Preliminary results of an autopsy conducted Monday revealed Rogers died as a result of gunshot wounds, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A deputy responded to the residence on Emert Williams Road shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday after one of Rogers’ family members called 911 and said Rogers was acting erratically, the Sheriff’s Office said.

When the deputy arrived, Rogers began chasing the deputy “with an edged weapon,” the release said. In a separate news release, the TBI identified the weapon as an ax.

The deputy gave Rogers several commands to drop the weapon, the Sheriff’s Office said, but he continued to charge toward the deputy. The deputy fired his service weapon, striking Rogers.

Additional deputies arrived and began to render aid to Rogers until ambulance personnel arrived, the Sheriff’s Office said. Rogers was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The deputy who fired his service weapon is on administrative leave with pay as per policy while the investigation continues, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The deputy was not immediately identified.