Report says officer shot man in back; officer disagrees

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A police officer in Tennessee is disputing a preliminary forensic report that says he fatally shot a man in the back last week.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports a statement Monday from a lawyer for Knoxville police Officer Dylan Williams says the dead man was shot in his side.

Knoxville police said the officer was responding to a hit-and-run Aug. 26 and got into a physical struggle with 33-year-old Channara Tom Pheap, who matched the suspect’s description.

Williams’ statement says Pheap choked him and used the officer’s stun gun against him after he tried to pat him down to search for weapons.

Williams’ version of events contradicts some witness accounts and the preliminary Knox County Regional Forensic Center report, which says Pheap was shot in the back.

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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com