Tennessee Officer Shot During Traffic Stop

Hours after a Knoxville police officer was shot during a late-morning traffic stop by a man with a shotgun, residents remained shaken by all the activity in their normally quiet Northeast Knoxville neighborhood.

Perry Thornton, who has lived on Alice Bell Road for seven years, said he heard "a pop" while he was watching television but didn't know exactly what it was he had heard.

"All I heard was the shot," he said. "I couldn't distinguish it from a gunshot or a car hitting another car or a transformer popping on an electrical line. It was just a pop.

"It was kind of scary. I thought, 'Something is really happening,' but I didn't know what was happening."

Just before 11 a.m. Saturday, Knoxville Police Department Officer Andrew Olson, a two-year KPD veteran and a former U.S. Marine, attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a stolen Volkswagen Jetta near the intersection of Springhill Road and Buffat Mill Drive, said KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk.

The driver refused to stop and attempted to flee. Two minutes later, the Jetta's driver, identified by police as 18-year-old Cameron Cook, stopped the vehicle on Washington Pike near Alice Bell Road.

As Olson was getting out of his car, Cook jumped out of the Jetta and opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun, hitting Olson in the upper leg, DeBusk said.

"(Olson) was doing everything as he was supposed to be doing and (Cook) suddenly jumped out of the car. The shooting was immediate -- the officer had no interaction with him before he jumped out and started shooting," DeBusk said.

Olson, who was wearing a protective vest, was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center with a "very serious leg injury."

As news spread of the shooting, KPD officers, including the police chaplain, arrived at UT Medical Center's emergency room. When they left hours later, their moods appeared to have relaxed. Olson's injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.

Saturday evening, he was in the hospital's intensive care unit and was listed in stable condition.

DeBusk said that because officers were headed to back up Olson, they were on scene within a minute or less of the shooting.

"The first thing they did was pull him (Olson) to safety and made sure he was not injured further and got him first aid," he said.

Other officers then began to pursue Cook, who had fled on foot and still had the shotgun in his possession, DeBusk said.

Thanks to neighbors, Cook was caught quickly, DeBusk said, as they called the E-911 center to let police know of the suspect's whereabouts as he ran. Cook eventually ditched the gun while he was running, DeBusk said, but police were able to retrieve it.

Cook was arrested without incident and taken to the Knox County Detention Facility, where he was questioned by police.

"We appreciate the community's help. We had multiple people that helped us (arrest) this dangerous man very quickly," DeBusk said.

Saturday's incident was not Cook's first run-in with law enforcement. The 18-year-old has a extensive criminal history, DeBusk said, and had multiple warrants out for his arrest -- including one for an alleged aggravated burglary Dec. 1.

Cook has been charged with one count each of attempted first-degree murder, felony fleeing and theft of a stolen vehicle in connection with Saturday's shooting. His bond has not been set.

DeBusk said that as the investigation continues, Cook could face additional charges.

For Thornton, his leisurely day at home turned into chaos as he watched his street swarm with police.

"It was just so quick; they were here fast," he said. "Everything is usually all nice and quiet."

As he looked toward the then-empty street Saturday afternoon, a street that just hours ago had been filled with police cars, Thornton said he'd never seen anything like it in his quiet neighborhood.

"It was pretty scary for a minute," he said. "It's kind of shook us up a little bit. It's too close to home.

"It could probably happen anywhere. I wish it hadn't happened here."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service