Police: Woman shot herself after officers responded in north Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — A woman was transported with a self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday afternoon after police surrounded a vehicle in north Jackson.

The call about the gunshot went out just after 12 noon to the area of Convenient Care and Coffman’s Home Furnishings near the Highway 45 Bypass and Oil Well Road.

According to the Jackson Police Department, officers had been notified of a possibly suicidal person out of Gibson County who may be armed.

Officers attempted to stop a vehicle matching the description in order to perform a welfare check. That’s when they saw the woman had a gun.

The woman then yelled at police and told them to shoot her, according to Police Chief Julian Wiser.

Wiser said officers did not fire their weapons and that the woman suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

She was seriously injured and transported to a local hospital, according to police. Her condition is not known at this time, but Lt. Derick Tisdale said she was alive when transported from the scene.

According to Interim Medina Police Chief Jason Oliver, the incident started when officers got a call about a husband and wife at Medina Medical Center.

The woman was possibly suicidal and left the medical center alone, and officers later learned there was a handgun in the vehicle, according to Oliver.

Police put out a notice to other agencies and tracked the woman’s cell phone, which they found was in north Jackson.

That’s then officers with the Jackson police department located the vehicle.

Wiser could not say whether any of the responding officers were wearing the body cameras the department has been testing.

The investigation is ongoing. Stay with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News and www.wbbjtv.com for the latest in this developing story.