By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com
A Wartrace man is dead today after an all-night standoff outside a Knob Creek Road home.
The body of Rhett “Boo” Brewer, 32, was found when law enforcement entered the home he shared with his mother around 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff Austin Swing said.
Brewer died of a single gunshot wound investigators believe to be self-inflicted, Swing said. The sheriff confirmed no bullets or projectiles capable of fatal injury were fired into the home by law enforcement.
Several Bedford County deputies were attempting to serve a warrant late Monday at the home, Swing said. The home is next to Bethsalem Community Chapel.
Three women had contacted the Bedford and Rutherford County sheriff’s departments over the weekend saying Brewer had sent threatening, obscenity-filled texts. Brewer demanded the women stop contacting his mother or they would be hurt. One of the texts mentioned what Brewer described as his mother’s “cop friends.”
“He grabbed what we were told was a long gun, went to an area in the back of the house like an apartment and closed the doors,” Swing said. “When deputies tried to talk to him he became increasingly agitated.”
Swing said five or six deputies were at the large, older home.
“We didn’t have them equipment to search that big house,” Swing said. “The TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) brought a robotic camera and the Tennessee Highway Patrol also brought one. The Rutherford County SWAT Team had small drones they could take inside the house.”
Approximately eight to 10 Rutherford County officers were at the scene along with two large armored military-type vehicles, Swing said.
Residents in the immediate vicinity of the home were advised to take precautions or leave their residences, authorities said.
Officers from all agencies tried to talk with Brewer through much of the night with varying results, Swing said.
“Either tear gas or flash bag explosives with the capability, at most, to stun someone were set off,” Swing said. Some nearby residents reported hearing what they described as “explosions.”
“As far as I know, no live ammunition was fired into the house,” Swing, who was at the scene all night, said.
The TBI has taken over the investigation, Swing said. Agents surrounded the home at midday Tuesday.
