May 22, 2012
Jenna McWilliams Live on the scene at Noon
Jenna McWilliams live update pdate at 6:00p.m.
Knoxville, Tenn. (WVLT/AP) -- One woman is dead following a robbery attempt at a Knoxville credit union Wednesday morning and the suspected shooter was shot by police.
According to authorities, 46 year-old Davida Nicholson was withdrawing money from an ATM at the TVA Employees Credit Union, 1316 Wilson Road, when she was approached by 20 year-old Brandon James Johnson.
She tried pulling away from Johnson, who shot her and started firing at a second vehicle pulling away from another ATM. He continued shooting at others in the parking lot.
Johnson proceeded to pull Nicholson's 21 year-old, mentally-challenged son from the passenger seat of her Mazda B4000 pickup and climbed in.
He was in the truck when the first two officers arrived and ordered him to drop his weapons and get out of the truck. He reportedly refused and was shot in the neck by a single round fired by Officer Eric Razote.
The officers removed him from the truck and recovered both his handguns.
Both Nicholson and Johnson were rushed to UT Medical Center, where Nicholson was pronounced dead at 9:07 a.m. Johnson has been treated and released.
Johnson was charged with the Felony Murder of Nicholson, Attempted First Degree Murder of 36 year-old William Letsinger, who was driving the second vehicle Johnson shot at and was hurt in the incident.
Johnson also faces three counts of Aggravated Assault against Richard Vowell, Nicholson's son; Shane Phillips; and Diane Largent. The latter two officers say were not hurt.
Officer Razote, a nearly four-year veteran with the Knoxville Police Department has been place on Administrative Leave with pay pending the conclusion of the investigation, which the department says is standard operating procedure during an officer involved shooting incident.
