Man shot by Knox County deputy was acting erratically with gun before shooting, officials say

What This Story Is About

• The TBI has identified Caleb Barber, 31, as the man who died after being shot by a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy outside a Weigel’s on Clinton Highway. The shooting happened just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday after Barber was seen with a gun in the parking lot, acting erratically.

Why It Matters

• Nearby business owner Alex Hopper said deputies collected two to three shell casings from the ground near his store, Hopper’s Auto Sales. Hooper said the shooting could have damaged property or injured others, noting there are “countless people on the roads between six o’clock and seven o’clock in the morning” in the area.

What Happens Next

• Deputy R. Duncan has been placed on paid administrative leave. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says he will remain on leave pending the outcome of the TBI’s investigation.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who died after being shot by a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy outside a Weigel’s on Clinton Highway.

The shooting happened just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Officials said 31-year-old Caleb Barber was acting erratically when a deputy shot and killed him.

Video shows man with gun before shooting

Hopper’s Auto Sales, located near the Weigel’s where the shooting happened, shared surveillance video showing a man on camera around 7 a.m. that same morning waving a gun and a broken chair leg.

Owner Alex Hopper said law enforcement was at his store collecting evidence.

“They found, I think, two to three shell casings on the ground,” Hopper said. “And that could have damaged anything, you know, as far as my property and the property of here for all those sales. Plus, could have injured anybody else. You know, there’s countless people on the roads between six o’clock and seven o’clock in the morning, especially here in East Tennessee. So, you know, thank God that nobody was hurt and nothing was severely, you know, damaged to the point where it became a bigger problem than it needed to be.”

TBI details the shooting

The TBI said Barber was in the parking lot of the Weigel’s with a gun, acting erratically. When a deputy made contact with him, the situation escalated, and the TBI says the deputy shot and killed him.

Deputy placed on leave

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office placed Deputy R. Duncan on paid administrative leave. KCSO said the deputy was not injured during the shooting and will remain on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.