THP officers cleared in shooting; wounded man charged

Two Tennessee Highway Patrol officers who opened fire on a man during a traffic stop on Interstate 26 have been cleared of any wrongdoing, while the suspect they shot has been indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury, reports the Kingsport Times-News.

The shooting, which occurred Jan. 12 in Kingsport, was the subject of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe.

True bills were returned against Richard D. Jenny, 39, of Johnson City, on two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus said that after being presented evidence collected by the TBI, the grand jury determined that the troopers, Alex Perry and Andrew Connors, were put in fear for their lives by Jenny’s alleged actions, and did not use excessive force.

“The grand jury’s finding was that Mr. Jenny pulled a pistol on them and under the circumstances they acted reasonably and appropriately,” Staubus said.

… Prior to this week’s indictments, Jenny had been released from HVMC. Earlier this week, he sought additional care at Johnson City Medical Center, where he was released and arrested on Friday…. A TBI records request about Jenny’s history revealed more than a dozen criminal charges against him over the past 20 years in Tennessee…. Offenses include domestic assault, possession of drugs for resale, theft, evading arrest and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.