A man who allegedly fired a close-range shot at Hamblen County Deputy Lt. Eddie Hefner during a burglary-in-progress investigation at an Old Oak Lane duplex Thursday evening could owe his life to a jammed .22-caliber rifle and deputies’ restraint, according to authorities.
Derrick Lynn Jefferson, 33, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated burglary. He remained in the Hamblen County Jail this morning without bond.
“My deputy had the green light to eliminate the problem, but he chose to take a second and evaluate the situation further,” Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin said Thursday night. “The suspect was given time to make the right choice. Praise God nobody sustained any injuries.”
The sheriff says Jefferson was acting “oddly,” and he can’t rule out the possibility the defendant was under the influence of drugs when he was taken into custody at the duplex, which is located just off Central Church Road in West Hamblen County.
Jefferson’s alleged intent was clear, according to Detective Lt. David Stapleton. As Jefferson was being escorted to a cruiser, he allegedly shouted “he meant to kill them,” according to Deputy Dustin Jordan. Stapleton says he examined the trajectory of the bullet Jefferson fired and concluded it would have struck Hefner in the head if he had not quickly withdrawn his head as a target.
The .22-caliber Sears, Roebuck and Company rifle jammed after Jefferson fired the shot from inside an upstairs bedroom closet, just 11 feet and 9 inches from where Hefner had taken a quick peek from outside the room, according to Stapleton.
The series of events that led to Jefferson’s arrest played out around 6 p.m. at the two-storey duplex of Kendall Dunivan. One of Dunivan’s neighbors spotted Jefferson forcing his way into the residence and called Dunivan. Dunivan, who is unacquainted with Jefferson, called 911 as he was speeding home, according to the sheriff.
Jefferson was upstairs when Dunivan arrived. He armed himself with a 9 mm handgun and fired one shot at Jefferson before withdrawing and waiting for law enforcement. The .22-caliber rifle Jefferson fired belongs to Dunivan, according to Stapleton.
Hefner and Deputy Sgt. Josh Ringley cornered the defendant in an upstairs bedroom, according to the detective.
“People have just lost respect for law enforcement,” Stapleton said. “It’s a shame. You leave your house and don’t know if you’re going to come back home or not. I’m glad everybody came home safe to their families and no life was lost. I’m just glad we didn’t have to return fire and it ended up the way it did.”
http://www.citizentribune.com/newsnow/man-faces-attempted-murder-charge-after-firing-at-deputy/article_91e3e966-4fc9-11e8-be50-57e8141b7e7e.html