AP Photo/Wade Payne
- A 17-year-old in Knoxville, Tennessee, was shot and killed by police on Monday.
- Officials first said the teen, Anthony Thompson, had shot an officer, before walking back the claim.
- Community members are calling for the body camera footage to be released.
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A 17-year-old in Knoxville, Tennessee, was shot and killed by police on Monday during a confrontation in a high school bathroom. Anthony J. Thompson Jr. was later identified as the student.
Officers from the Knoxville Police Department arrived at Austin-East Magnet High School in response to a call that a possibly armed teen was in the school. When officers arrived, the subject, Thompson, was in a school bathroom, which they entered.
Initial reports from law enforcement said that Thompson had shot an officer, prompting officers to return fire, killing the teen. But 48 hours later, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation walked back the initial report, saying "the bullet that struck the KPD officer was not fired from the student's handgun."
In its updated report, TBI acknowledged the changed narrative: "During investigations, agents discover facts that may clarify initial reports. This is why our agency uses terms in our releases such as 'preliminary,' 'possibly,' and 'reportedly.'"
-Shannon Smith WBIR (@ShannonSmithTV) April 14, 2021
Scant details have been released about how the incident unfolded. The latest TBI report says that after officers entered the bathroom there was a "subsequent struggle" and "the student's gun was fired," followed by the officers firing twice.
Additional details have not been given about the bullet that struck Officer Adam Wilson, who is recovering from surgery as a result of the injury.
TBI has not given details about how many officers were in the bathroom or which may have shot Thompson.
Amid the lack of available details, community members and local officials have called on the body camera footage to be released. Those calls have been unsuccessful, despite being joined by three of the four officers involved, local outlet Knox News reported.
"In an effort to accurately inform the public, all three officers fully support the release of all unedited body camera footage related to this incident," a statement from the officers provided to Knox News said.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon and KPD Chief Eve Thomas have also called for the footage to be released, but District Attorney General Charme Allen has declined to release the footage while the investigation is ongoing.
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