(Full 20-minute video below)
Bizarre footage of a deadly rural roadside shooting has surfaced from Tennessee, as an erratically-behaved man live-streamed his own death at the hands of lawmen in Crockett County on Thursday afternoon.
36-year-old New Orleans native Rodney James Hess had live-streamed a lot of the event, though it is uncertain where the video began in context to the initial altercation.
Hess filmed himself contemplating on the side of a farmland highway, walking into the middle of the road and even attracting the attention of some would-be Good Samaritans. Shortly after standing in the road, Hess took off in his vehicle and began blocking the road with his Chevrolet truck.
When Crockett County Deputies near the town of Alamo cam to check on Hess at around 2:15 PM, he demanded to speak to their supervisors and was uncooperative.
“A Crockett County deputy arrived after drivers were obviously not able to get where they wanted to go,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said. “He then determined that he needed backup.”
Additional law officers on the scene noted that Hess became more aggressive before weaponizing his vehicle, attempting to run down officers.
“Preliminary information indicates Hess attempted to use his vehicle, his SUV, to strike the officers at least twice,” DeVine said.
Faced with being run over, the officers opened fire, placing at least one round into Hess through the front windshield.
Wounded, Hess managed to drive across an overpass before crashing. He died after being airlifted to the hospital.
Devine said the deputies were not injured and that it is unknown why Hess was in Alamo county.
“We’re working to develop what his possible connections were to this area,” he said.
Hess’ patriarchal family figures denounced the police in a video, asking that justice be served and if “anything that’s covered up, that it will be brought to light- that it wouldn’t be just another black man shot by police officers. All we’re asking for is justice.”
According to The Jackson Sun, TBI is currently working to examine what exactly led up to the fatal incident.
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