Attorney says deadly shooting at Bolivar home was self-defense

HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — The attorney for a man accused in a deadly shooting in Bolivar reached says there’s a different side to the story than what you may have already heard.

Jammy Harbin

Attorney D.J. Norton describes why his client, Jammy Harbin, shot and killed a man in a home last Friday.

Norton says the 46-year-old Navy veteran shot and killed 31-year-old Timothy Smith to protect his family.

He says Smith had been assaulting Harbin’s son. Photos show the son with bruising his ribs and face. However, we can’t verify when the pictures were taken or how Harbin’s son got the injuries.

“At one point he came toward Mr. Harbin, and my client felt due to his medical condition and his limited capacity physically that he had no other choice but to defend himself and his family,” Norton said.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reached out to District Attorney Mike Dunavant, whose office brought forward the second-degree murder charges, but did not receive a response.

Defense lawyers say that they have evidence that shows this case is less about murder and more about self-defense.

“I don’t know why the state has brought these charges, but it’s in my opinion, is a case of self-defense,” Norton said. “This was in my client’s home. Mr. Hardin feared for his life, the life of his son and the life of his wife, and he did what he had to do. There was one shot fired, and it was a fatal shot.”

The case is still under investigation.

Harbin’s next court appearance is set for March 22 in Hardeman County General Sessions Court.

Harbin currently is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.