TENNESSEE (Bywire News) - A preliminary investigation into the high school shooting that took place in Knoxville, Tennessee found that the police officer that was harmed during the incident was not in fact discharged from the gun of the young shooter, who was later shot and killed.
Austin-East Magnet High School, was met with an open fire at the hands of a 17-year-old student on Monday. The student was fatally shot during a scuffle with the police.
Upon arrival to the school, police officers located the shooter and tracked him to the school bathrooms, where they were met with more gunshots. The attacker died on the spot, while a police officer was injured. Initially, the officers made the assumption that the officer was wounded when the student had opened fire.
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, "Preliminary examinations indicate the bullet that struck the KPD (Knoxville Police Department) officer was not fired from the student's handgun,"
According to the TBI, the student shot first, while the officers sent out retaliation shots.
Adam Wilson, the policeman who was shot, was operating as a resource officer for the high school. He was shot in the upper thigh and was in a grave condition following surgery. However, it was announced on Tuesday that his recovery is underway.
The New York Times reported that Tennessee investigators did not wish to reveal the origin of the bullet and whether it came from Wilson's own gun or another officers.
TBI was not available for comment immediately due to the time zone differences.
The investigation into the shooting is still active and ongoing, its finding will be given to the District Attorney General.
(Reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru and Klaudia Fior; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)