Julie Ann Jenkins, 49, Killed in TBI
Julie Ann Jenkins was just 49 when she died in a heartbreaking officer-involved shooting on a quiet stretch of Highway 113 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. It happened early Tuesday morning after deputies rushed to a 911 call about a woman bleeding and threatening to hurt herself with a razor blade. What started as a welfare check for someone clearly in deep emotional pain ended in tragedy, and now the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is running an independent probe to sort out exactly what went wrong.Deputies arrived at the rural spot near Nina Road around 5:30 a.m. and found Jenkins in obvious crisis. Details of those first moments are still thin because the TBI hasn’t released a full timeline yet. At some point the encounter turned deadly fast—two deputies fired their service weapons, and Jenkins was pronounced dead right there on the roadside.
No officers were injured.Standard procedure kicked in immediately: the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office stepped back and handed the entire case to the TBI. Agents and forensic teams closed the highway for hours, collecting evidence, taking photos, and talking to anyone who might have seen or heard anything, including the two deputies. Those deputies, whose names haven’t been released, are on paid administrative leave and are cooperating with investigators. The case file will eventually go to the District Attorney for the 4th Judicial District, who will decide if the use of deadly force was justified under Tennessee law.Behind the official reports is a real person. Friends and neighbors described Jenkins as kind-hearted, someone who adored animals and quietly lived in the area for years. She struggled with mental health for a long time, but she wasn’t violent toward others—just someone in pain. Locals remember seeing her walking her little dog along the highway, keeping to herself.
The shooting has stirred up tough questions in this rural community about how police respond to mental-health emergencies when specialized help is miles and hours away. Advocates point out that deputies often arrive first in these situations, and training gaps can turn a self-harm call into something far worse. A small memorial of flowers, crosses, and handwritten notes now marks the spot, and a candlelight vigil is being planned in Dandridge to honor Jenkins and push for better crisis resources.Her family—two grown children, three grandchildren, and her parents—is left planning a funeral and trying to make sense of it all. A GoFundMe has already raised thousands to help with expenses and raise awareness.
As the TBI investigation continues, everyone is waiting to see what the full facts reveal. For now, Highway 113 is open again, but the loss of Julie Ann Jenkins lingers like a reminder that mental-health crises need more than just a quick police response.
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