‘Called into a trap:’ DA files no charges in Clinton officer involved shooting

CLINTON, Tenn. (WATE) — The District Attorney General announced on Tuesday that there will be no charges against the Clinton police officer who fatally shot a man in Anderson County in March.

7th District Attorney General Dave Clark made the announcement in an eight-page memorandum, detailing his reasoning and what the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s investigation of the shooting found.

Previously, the TBI released that a Clinton police officer responded to a report of a suicidal individual at a home in the 1000 block of Medaris Drive just after 8 p.m. on March 3. At that time, it was released that the officer found the subject in a parking area, shots were fired, and the individual was taken to a local hospital where he died. The individual was identified as Isaiah Gregory Hill, 25.

Clark’s release includes significantly more details about what happened that night.

According to the document, the officer responded to the scene after Hill’s grandmother had called requesting help for her grandson. Clark wrote that the officer knew before he arrived that the call was related to a suicidal person.

When the officer approached the residence, he heard a woman yell “he wants to kill himself” and saw Hill carrying a large knife as he came around the front of his vehicle, Clark wrote. The memorandum states that witnesses said Hill was “darting” or “chasing” the officer. The officer backed away and commanded Hill to drop the knife and “get back,” but Hill continued toward him. The officer then drew his department-issued pistol from its holster and fired two shots at Hill, both of which struck him, according to Clark.

According to the report, from the time Howell opened the door of his vehicle when he arrived at the call to the time the second shot was fired, only 12 seconds elapsed. The report also states that as the officer was retreating from Hill, he fell backward and broke a bone in his arm.

After the officer shot Hill, he immediately kicked the knife away and retrieved first-aid equipment from his vehicle. As he was doing that, the officer reportedly heard someone yell “Get down” and looked up to see Hill walking toward the apartment. The officer then moved back toward Hill, concerned that he would get the knife again, but as he approached, Hill collapsed back to the ground.

The report states that as the officer was rendering aid to Hill, he asked “Why did you force me to shoot you?” and Hill replied, “I want to die.”

The officer directed another officer to call for an ambulance, and Hill was taken to the hospital. Clark wrote that Hill reportedly asked EMS responders to just let him die. He later died at the hospital and his body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for an autopsy.

Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that Hill had injured himself before officers arrived and had lost a substantial quantity of blood. The autopsy confirmed there were wounds in Hill’s arms that were consistent with self-inflicted wounds, as well as two gunshot wounds, one that penetrated the torso and one to the right side of the chest that did not penetrate the chest cavity. A toxicology report also found nicotine, caffeine, ketamine, and other medicines in his system that were consistent with treating epileptic seizures, muscle relaxation, schizophrenia, and opioid dependence. The report states that the ketamine was likely administered during Hill’s emergency medical treatment.

Hill’s cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the torso and his manner of death was found to be homicide, in that it was a death caused by another. The report states that the forensic pathologist also noted that the injuries to Hill’s arms were substantial and would have resulted in him bleeding to death.

“I find no basis to believe there is any fault whatsoever with [the officer’s] performance on the night of Hill’s death no matter what standard is used. I cannot imagine what he could reasonably be expected to have done differently and in fact, in many ways [the officer] was called into a trap that night that caused him to have to fight for his own life and he is still dealing with through the lingering cloud of investigation. Accordingly, there will be no criminal charges filed against [him.]”

Although Clark noted that Hill’s behavior and statements were consistent with him attempting to induce “suicide by cop”, Clark wrote Hill’s death was indirectly caused by mental illness.

“That said, I cannot help but turn to the real issue from that night that caused the death of Isaiah Hill. In doing so, perhaps some good can be done for other suffering citizens in this or other communities by discussing the hard truth. By all appearances, the indirect but in many ways real cause of Hill’s death was mental illness.” Clark wrote in part.

He added, “I would observe that time and time again there aren’t sufficient resources to deal with mental illness and those that seek help often don’t get help or don’t get enough help. Through informal conversations, it seems that our community is aware that mental health services are inadequate but somehow, as a society, we seem resigned to accept that situation or see no answers. I continue to hope that we can do better.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline at 988 or the Tennessee statewide crisis line at 855-CRISIS-1 or text *T-N* to 741-741 for 24-hour help. The McNabb Center also has a crisis line that can be reached at 865-539-2409.

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