Body armor helped protect the life of an Etowah, Tennessee, police officer during a stand-off with a man who fired shots at authorities early Saturday.
The incident happened after Etowah police answered a call at a residence in the 600 block of Georgia Avenue at 7:38 p.m. Friday, allegedly witnessing the man assault a woman, a news release from the city department states.
Officers were able to get the woman to safety as the man went back inside and refused to come out, officials said in the release. McMinn County Sheriff's deputies and 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force agents also came to assist.
Around 1 a.m. Saturday, after several hours of negotiations, the man emerged from the home and officers tried to take him into custody, but then he retreated back inside and began firing a weapon at police, the release states.
(READ MORE: TBI probes fatal officer shooting of Etowah man)
"An Etowah police officer was struck by a bullet in his lower abdomen and was transported to the emergency room at Starr Regional Medical Center for precautionary reasons," the release states.
The officer sustained only minor injuries because the bullet struck his body armor, authorities said.
Additional, unsuccessful attempts were made to contact the man inside the Georgia Avenue home as SWAT officers surrounded the residence, authorities said. SWAT officers entered the home where they found the man dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound.
No shots were fired by any of the officers at the scene, authorities said.
Officials at the McMinn County Court Clerk's Office said no paperwork had been filed on the incident as of Wednesday morning. Etowah police declined further comment when contacted Wednesday by phone.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information was immediately being released, according to Etowah police. When completed, the case file will be given to the 10th Judicial District Attorney General's Office for review, authorities said.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.