East Ridge man killed by police officer was shot five times, once in the back

Todd Browning
Todd Browning

The 54-year-old man killed by an East Ridge police officer on Aug. 19 was shot at least five times, including once in the back, according to a preliminary report from the Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office.

Todd Browning was shot three times in the chest, once in the wrist and once in his back. He had a sixth gunshot wound in his abdomen that was likely caused by the same bullet that hit his wrist, according to the report.

photo Todd Browning

Browning was killed by an unidentified police officer outside Browning's home on Prigmore Drive sometime after 6 p.m. on Aug. 19. Witnesses said Browning was holding a pipe or tire iron and may have had a knife when he interacted with the first police officer who pulled up in front of the home.

Witness Lawrence Jones said Browning yelled and screamed at the officer, and the officer repeatedly told Browning to put down his weapons. Jones estimated the two interacted for three to five minutes before Browning moved toward the officer and the officer pulled the trigger.

Jones said the officer was armed with a rifle and was about 20 or 30 feet away from Browning during the encounter. He was the only officer on scene at the time of the shooting.

Officials have been slow to release details about the incident. Spokespeople for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office have declined to say what time the first officer arrived at Browning's house, how long the officer was on scene before he opened fire, how many times the officer fired, what weapon the officer used or how many times Browning was hit.

They also would not identify the officer or say whether the shooting was captured on video, citing the ongoing investigation.

Melydia Clewell, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, again declined to comment Wednesday. East Ridge Police Chief J.R. Reed did not respond to a request for comment.

The incident began after a report of a man wielding a knife at an Autozone on Ringgold Road, then moved to the Prigmore Drive home nearby. Officials would not comment on how or when the incident moved from the store to Browning's home.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.

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