Man Killed by Deputy in Struggle for Gun at Hospital

DAYTON, Tenn. -- A probe by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will follow the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old Spring City man by a Rhea County deputy sheriff early Friday.

The fatal shots were fired around 2 a.m. Friday in the Rhea Medical Center emergency room, officials said. The TBI typically investigates officer-involved shootings.

The victim, identified as Steven Lee Howell of Muddy Creek Road in Spring City, had been arrested on a domestic assault charge, Rhea County sheriff's detective Rocky Potter said in a Friday news conference.

Howell had some injuries when he was booked at the Rhea County Jail, so two deputies took him to the hospital for treatment. At the hospital, Potter said, Howell "became belligerent" and was "aggressive physically and verbally."

Howell struggled with one deputy in a treatment room and managed to get his service weapon, Potter said.

"The second officer that entered the room at that time had to fire a shot at Mr. Howell," he said. Emergency room staff pronounced Howell dead.

Howell didn't fire the stolen weapon, Potter said, and no one else was injured, Potter said.

He wouldn't discuss details about who else was present during the shooting or how many shots were fired. He said it's unclear whether Howell was intoxicated.

The deputies, whose names are being withheld, will be on paid administrative leave until the investigation is complete, Rhea County officials said. Both deputies gave statements to the TBI on Friday.

"Our investigation into the actions of the two deputies remains ongoing at this point," TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said Friday in an email.

Debriefing teams talked with the deputies and the hospital's emergency room staff, according to Rhea County officials.

Potter said Howell had a criminal record that included domestic charges.

Before this week, Howell's criminal record shows he was arrested most recently in June on a charge of aggravated assault by domestic violence, according to documents provided by Jeff Knight with the sheriff's office.

Records also show arrests on charges of domestic assault in February and June of 2013, and other arrests for possession of burglary tools, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of schedule II drugs in August 2013.

There were no charges or reports of violence toward officers, records showed.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service