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Wife of man killed in Oak Ridge officer-involved shooting defends husband

The TBI said a suspect died and an officer was wounded in an incident in Oak Ridge Monday evening.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting Monday along Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge.

According to the TBI, the preliminary investigation revealed the incident started around 7:30 p.m. on Cumberland View Drive.

Officers with the Oak Ridge Police Department reportedly saw and identified Isaiah D. Ramirez, 36, who had outstanding warrants. When officers tried to pull him over, Ramirez, who was driving a pickup truck with a utility trailer, took off and officers pursued him.

The chase ended in the parking lot of the Anderson County General Sessions Court Division II.

At some point when officers tried to stop Ramirez in the parking lot, the TBI said he struck one of the officers with his vehicle. The TBI said at least one officer then opened fire -- hitting Ramirez.

Ramirez was pronounced dead at the hospital. The officer was taken to the hospital, but was treated and released overnight.

According to court documents, Ramirez pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2016. He was sentenced to four years but served most of that on probation.

The TBI sent agents and forensic scientists to the scene to lead the investigation.

Heavy police presence could be seen at the Anderson County General Sessions Court Division II building and Anderson County Clerk's building at 728 Emory Valley Road.

The parking lot at the court's entrance was taped off.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said it was not providing any other information at this time pending the TBI's investigation.

Isaiah Ramirez's wife, Amy, said her husband is a good man despite his criminal background.

Last night, it didn’t seem real," Amy Ramirez said. "And it still doesn’t seem real. I talked to him all the time—and I just. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do."

Records show his criminal record dates back to at least 2010.

It includes a kidnapping incident involving his wife Amy Ramirez, domestic assault and drug charges.

An arrest warrant for Isaiah in 2016 says Isaiah held Amy hostage in a bathroom at their home on Duke Street, pointing a gun at her head, pulling her hair and beating her.

Paperwork also said he hit Amy's car with a 2x4, smashing her windshield.

But despite their disagreements, Amy said she still loves her husband.

"Isaiah is a good hearted person," Amy said. "He's got a million friends. He's good to people, and I don't think he would've hurt anybody intentionally. I think that Isaiah might've panicked. And got scared. And so, he's been to jail before. He didn't want to go back to jail."

"He's my best friend," she went on to say. "He's really the only person I have anything to do with."

Ramirez said she's trying to find a way to pay for Isaiah's funeral costs.

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