National media then stopped talking about it. Residents of Knoxville though heard another from a teen who had also been inside the bathroom when they shooting happened. He claimed there was a scuffle between Anthony and an officer and, when the officer went to draw his gun, shot himself in the hip. The following day, the press put out that investigators had found the bullet that struck the Knoxville PD officer was not from Anthony's gun. 2 weeks before the incident KPD's officers were issued body-cams so most likely photographic evidence exists. Knoxville residents and the city's mayor have requested that this footage be shared but, as of 4/17/21, the local district attorney continues to refuse stating that she has multiple concerns about making the footage public until she has been given all(?) The evidence and decides whether or not a crime has been committed.
(most of this info from Knoxville's Opposum Press)
3 KPD Officers involved in incident request Body-Cam Footage. WVLT Knoxville, TN tweet. 4/17/21: Knoxville police body cameras record 1st high-profile case & authorities sit on video. UPDATE: After this story was published Tuesday night, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday afternoon the bullet that hit a Knoxville Police Department officer at Austin-East High School did not come from the student's gun.
The TBI said Knoxville police, acting on a report that a person was possibly armed, entered the restroom, struggled with the student and shot twice after the student's gun "was fired. " The TBI implied the wounded officer was hit by police gunfire. The student killed has been identified as 17-year-old Anthony J. Thompson Jr. 4/14/21: TN Student Killed by Police Did Not Fire Bullet That Hit Officer. A student who was fatally shot during a confrontation with the police on Monday at a Knoxville, Tenn., high school did not fire the bullet that struck an officer who was wounded, the authorities said on Wednesday.
The disclosure by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation contradicted its earlier statements that the police officer had been shot by the student at Austin-East Magnet High School. The bureau said on Wednesday that the student’s gun had been fired in a struggle with officers. “Preliminary examinations indicate the bullet that struck the KPD officer was not fired from the student’s handgun,” the bureau said in a statement. Investigators declined to say whether the bullet that struck the officer in the leg had come from his own gun or from another officer’s weapon.
The bureau identified the student on Wednesday as Anthony J. 4/17/21: DA Charme Allen Lectures Public on Why Body-Cam Footage Not Already Released.