UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who was shot as 20-year-old John Hunt of Memphis.
Family members spoke with WREG about Hunt on Wednesday. You can see the updated story here.
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — A chase and shooting with a man deputies say waved a rifle at them ended with an officer shooting the man early Wednesday morning in Cordova.
On Tuesday night, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was notified by Millington police to be on the lookout for a vehicle driven by a man who police say had been acting erratically earlier in the day.
The sheriff’s department said they spotted the vehicle driven by 20-year-old John Hunt at Houston Levee and Pisgah Road around 10:45 p.m. When they approached the vehicle, officers noticed a rifle laying on the front seat.
That’s when they say Hunt waved the rifle and barricaded himself inside. A SWAT team was called and negotiated with Hunt for over an hour to get him to exit the vehicle.
As the SWAT team tried to establish communication, Hunt sped off, damaging a SWAT team vehicle and a deputy’s vehicle. The suspect fired several shots during a pursuit, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a slow-speed chase went on for about five miles until Hunt reached a dead end near Dexter Road and Milbrey Street.
Authorities say Hunt finally exited his vehicle with a rifle around 2 a.m., causing a SWAT officer to fire shots, according to the TBI.
Hunt was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured.
The Millington Police Department said Hunt had come to their office around 1 p.m. Tuesday to report an assault that had occurred in Memphis. Millington officers told him he needed to contact Memphis police to make a report.
Police said Hunt left, then returned about three hours later and again tried to make a report. Officers said they noticed a rifle on the front seat of his vehicle. When they asked him to get out of his vehicle, they say he sped off.
Millington Police say Hunt was not wanted on any charges, but they issued an alert because of his behavior and the firearm in his vehicle.
WREG is speaking with a family member of John Hunt and will update this story.