The man who shot himself, allegedly at the same time a Chattanooga police officer also shot him, died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, a medical examiner's report states.
Police were called to the 4000 block of Oakwood Drive at about 11:35 a.m. on Aug. 26 in regards to a suicidal man.
The following day, the police department issued a news release saying one of its officers accidentally discharged his department-issued handgun three times at the scene. Two of the shots hit a chair and one hit the man's leg.
The incident drew increased community attention last week, with many taking to social media to question how an officer could fire three shots by accident.
The attorneys of the officer in question, Officer Brian Cottell, said Cottell fired his gun intentionally, directly contradicting the department.
"[Cottell] purposefully discharged his weapon to protect himself and other officers as he was trained to do in these types of situations," attorney Janie Parks Varnell said in a statement.
Parks and Bryan Hoss, another of Cottell's attorneys, said the man was waving a firearm at officers. Officers asked him to put the weapon down, but the man refused, and that is why Cottell acted according to his training, the attorneys said.
Spokespersons for the Chattanooga Police Department did not immediately return requests for comment.