LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. — A grand jury in Loudon County heard testimony from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation about a Lenoir City shooting involving police that left a woman dead on Feb. 3.
According to authorities, the incident started after a man bid on a home at a Loudon County Delinquent Property Tax Sale in October 2019. He won the auction and a writ of possession was issued in December 2020, signaling that the current tenant would face eviction.
After the writ was issued but before Feb. 3, officials said that Deputy Craig Brewer tried to serve Tracey Walter-Hensley a notice about it. She was living on the property at the time.
According to reports, she refused to leave the home or accept the notice. So, Brewer left and returned to the home with his shift supervisor, Sgt. Brian Smith, and Lt. Michael Watkins. Together, they tried to evict Hensley on Feb. 3.
Reports said they knew Hensley could have a gun inside the home, and that she could have dogs too. Brewer and Smith both had handguns and body cameras, while Watkins had a taser but did not have a body camera.
As they entered the home, a shepherd-type dog approached and reports said that Watkins tried to scare it away with his taser, making a clicking noise with it. They found Hensley towards the back of the home.
According to reports, Hensley and the deputies shouted at each other before she was seen in a doorway with a gun. Brewer went for cover behind a bed when Hensley shot at the deputies, according to reports, and police shot back.
The three deputies left the house and called for a SWAT team which sent in a remotely controlled robot with video. Inside, police said they saw Hensley's body on the floor of the living area.
According to reports, she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The autopsy found that a skin abrasion shows that the gun was in direct contact with her head. However, officials said they could determine at what point in the confrontation Hensley may have died after the deputies left.
Based on the circumstances of the situation, video camera footage and the autopsy report — the Loudon County Grand Jury voted to accept the district Attorney Gener's determination that it was necessary to press criminal charges on the officers.