BEECHGROVE, TN (WGNS) – An officer‑involved shooting unfolded just before 8 o’clock Friday night (8/28/2026) near the Coffee–Rutherford County line, along Lakewood Drive in the Beechgrove community. It’s a quiet rural stretch where Coffee County bumps right up against Rutherford, and deputies were out conducting saturation patrols and warrant checks when things took a sudden and violent turn.
Coffee County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Frank Watkins confirmed that during the Friday night patrol, a suspect attacked a deputy with a machete. Another officer fired, striking the suspect. No details about the deputy have been released — a standard part of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation protocol.
Under Tennessee law, anytime a deputy or officer is involved in a shooting, the TBI steps in as an independent fact‑finding agency. Agents responded to Lakewood Drive Friday night, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Their job is strictly investigative; they do not decide whether the shooting was justified. That determination will be made later by Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott once the TBI’s findings are complete…