Brian Cottell, the Chattanooga police officer who police have said “accidentally” fired his weapon at a deceased suicidal man, did so intentionally, his attorneys say.
The Chattanooga Police Department issued a news release on Monday, saying an officer accidentally discharged his department-issued handgun three times at a scene in the 4000 block of Oakwood Drive. Two of the shots hit a chair and one hit the deceased man’s leg.
“[Cottell] purposefully discharged his weapon to protect himself and other officers as he was trained to do in these types of situations,” one of Cottell’s attorneys, Janie Parks Varnell, said in a statement.
Another of Cottell’s attorneys, Bryan Hoss, said his client has been a law enforcement officer and in the military for a combined 20 years. He is a certified hostage negotiator and a member of the crisis intervention team, Varnell said.
“The suspect picked up a firearm and waved it at the officers,” Hoss said.