MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee authorities identified the man who died after exchanging gunfire with a state trooper Monday in Hardeman County.
After initially saying the trooper hit the suspect, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) later said they are determining if the suspect, identified as 20-year-old Bryson E. Kirk, was shot by the trooper or whether the man shot himself.
A TBI spokesperson said just before 1:20 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shooting off Highway 18 near the Madison County line. Investigators said it was a domestic situation where two women were shot. One woman was taken to Regional One Hospital in Memphis in critical condition, the other was taken to a hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.
They said the suspect took off with an infant in the vehicle. (The TBI originally reported the two injured women had been in the vehicle as well, before updating they were shot at the original scene.)
The TBI said a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper spotted the suspect’s vehicle about ten minutes later and tried to stop the driver. They said the driver refused and fired at the trooper, who returned fire. Investigators said the suspect’s vehicle then crashed just south of Highway 100. The driver died at the scene. The TBI said the infant was taken to the hospital.
Once the TBI concludes it’s investigation, the findings will be shared with District Attorney General Mark Davidson, who will decide if charges are warranted.
