AP Photo/Wade Payne
- Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen said no officers will face charges in the April 12 shooting of Anthony J. Thompson Jr.
- Anthony was a 17-year-old student at Austin-East Magnet High School.
- Video appears to show the student armed with a gun.
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Knoxville District Attorney Charme Allen said no officers will face charges after releasing body-worn camera footage of the April 12 shooting of Anthony J. Thompson Jr., a 17-year-old student at Austin-East Magnet High School.
Knoxville police initially stated that Anthony, who appears in the video to have been armed with a gun, shot at an officer.
But days after the shooting, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that "the bullet that struck the KPD officer was not fired from the student's handgun." Allen confirmed at the conference that the school resource officer was shot by a Knoxville police officer and not by Anthony.
Allen made the body camera footage from the incident public and said that the investigation into the incident is complete and all evidence was collected. Allen added that Anthony's family had reviewed the body camera footage.
In the video, Officers Clabough, Baldwin, and Cash respond to a domestic violence call nearby the school and alert school resource Officer Willson that an individual in the bathroom may be armed.
After officers confront Anthony in the bathroom, an officer shoots Anthony after a brief scuffle and also shoots Wilson. It's unclear from the footage if Anthony reached for a weapon during the scuffle, at times his hand is in or near a front sweatshirt pocket. Multiple shots can be heard in the video.
Another student in another bathroom stall is handcuffed on the ground while he screams out that Anthony is bleeding.
"Is it reasonable to believe that he thought that his life was in danger, is it reasonable to believe that Officer Baldwin's life was in danger, Officer Cash's life was in danger and Officer Wilson's life is in danger. That's the standard that has to be applied as to charges against Officer Clabough," Allen said.
"Based on the evidence I do believe that it is reasonable," Allen said.
During the news conference, Allen said that none of the officers will face charges in the shooting.
Warning: The video below is graphic.
