A man who fired gunshots outside a Clarksville business during a dispute with his girlfriend early Sunday morning was shot by an off-duty Guthrie police officer.
Clarksville police say 29-year old Henry Demetrius Shannon of Clarksville was involved in an altercation with his girlfriend at about 3 a.m. outside a business in the 2200 block of Lowes Drive. Shannon allegedly retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and began to randomly fire his weapon as patrons were exiting the business that had just closed.
Off-duty Guthrie Police Officer Austin Richardson had just stopped by the business to meet a friend and was in the parking lot when the shooting began. Officer Richardson, acting as a citizen, tried to negotiate with Shannon to deescalate the situation.
When Shannon appeared to have some type of difficulty with his weapon, Officer Richardson retrieved his private-owned handgun from his own vehicle.
Another attempt to deescalate Shannon was unsuccessful and police say he pointed his gun at Officer Richardson, who in turn fired at Shannon.
Shannon was hit on the arm, but ran from the parking lot into a field across the street from the business. He was located and taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Shannon has been charged with aggravated assault and domestic assault and additional charges are pending.
Guthrie Police Chief Dean Blumel says Officer Richardson will be on paid leave for the next few days. He says Officer Richardson’s vehicle was struck by gunfire in the incident.
Chief Blumel says he believes Officer Richardson likely saved lives and believes he was a hero.