We live on the corner of Quarry Rd. and Steven Lane--our roads are blocked by the police. Two ambulances departed (with lights flashing)very soon after arriving--there were a total of 13 police cars at one time. A neighbor who is a police officer was in his backyard working at the time of the event, and witnessed (at a distance) what happened. He stopped at the corner of the street in front of our house and called it in, asking for EMTs, then raced down there. One neighbor reported there was a death--no confirmation on that. Another said it must be "old David, who's always shooting his gun off at all hours." No verification on this. Channels 8 and 10 are on scene, waiting to interview the sheriff.

Peggy Blanchard
Swan Pond resident

Thanks for the citizen reporting. Please keep us informed.

David Dickey passed away after midnight last night. He had multiple gunshot wounds from police. Any one know any more? No one seems to even know why the cops were there.

(link...)

Doesanyone know anything about what happened?

Deputy Dustin Hensley responded to a report Saturday night of shots fired and found 56-year-old David Dickey, who told the officer he had been shooting at some deer.

(link...)

Not that it really matters, but it's kind of odd that Mr. Dickey's father was involved in a shooting years ago that I think left a brother-in-law dead. It's been a long time, but I believe this happened within a few miles of this weekend's tragic event. I was just a kid then, but I remember that it scared the ???? out of me, as I lived pretty close to the Dickeys. I don't think Mr. Dickey (senior) was ever convicted of anything, and later as I got to know him, he turned out to be a pretty good guy. It's too bad about this whole situation.

I know the family well and they are good people who lived in Swan Pond for generations.
I am so sad that this has happened and when I heard the shots, I knew they we're intentional.

God please Bless the Dickey family and I am sure Deputy Hensley will have difficulty as well.

Very sad.
SM

Concerned Citizen you are right. He was a very honest man. He would do anything in the world for you if he liked you. If he didn't like you, he just didn't speak to you. When he said he was shooting the deer out of his garden, he really was. It is completely legal to shoot animals out of your garden if they are a problem. The Dickey family was there way before any of the subdivisions were. It makes perfect sense that he would be shooting at dusk because that is when the deer feed.

Here is a link to the article in the Knoxville News Sentinnel.

(link...)

I'm so sorry for all of you in that area. As if you haven't had enough to deal with. You and the Dickey family are in my prayers.

What's next, a shootout at the 4th of July fireworks on the river. Let's hire more cops and raise TAXES! You can drive from Kingston to Florida and see more cops in Roane County than you will see all the way to Florida. What's the deal. Another thing who shoots more people in Roane County the criminals or the cops?

One has to question what the heck happened at this property. For the record I for one don't have much confidence in TBI's ability to get to the bottom of it considering some of their most recent cases, aka Scott County Meth Lab Shooting, Houston Brothers, etc. I thought it was somewhat coincidental that a nearby resident cop called the sheriff dept and then as the KNS reported witnessed the shooting from his back yard while working in the yard. Also, the reports in the KNS stated that the victims brother lived next door and spoke to the victim on the phone but was shot somethinbg like 8 times before he could get next door to witness the situation. Correct me if I'm wrong by all means, but that's two hairy circumstances that jump out at me. Also, since when is it illegal for someone to shoot a gun on private property in the county? Why did the Stockton Brigade dispatch a deputy with so little experience to a scene with shots fired and an armed citizen. Why 8 shots if that is indeed the correct number? Granted the police have a tough job but you just can't go around shooting people in their freakin yards for crying out loud. What the heck is wrong with this county? Its like this place is cursed or something.

I live a short distance up the road from the Dickey residence--and two houses down from the detective's home. My understanding is that the detective heard and saw shots fired (you could see the Dickey property from his yard, our backyards are very open) and then called the dispatcher and asked for EMT's. Further I have been told that Mr. Dickey approached the deputy with a gun in hand and would not put it down, and made some remark that was threatening to the officer. I do not know this information except from a third-hand account, so cannot vouch for it.

Peggy Blanchard
Swan Pond resident

I am a friend of Mr. Dickey's. I don't know how you can see shots fired from 500 yards or more away. The detective supposedly called in when Mr. Dickey was shooting at deer before dark. I know you can't see shots fired before dark.

I would bet ten million dollars on this fact if I had the money...If Mr. Dickey pulled a gun on him he would have been firing it! I promise on everything I am worth! Mr. Dickey would not have TOLD him he was going to shoot him. I have known him all my life. Maybe the deputy THOUGHT he saw a gun.

Still do not understand why the deputy unloaded his weapon. I have always been told cops were peace keepers. It would be up to a judge to decide if he was shooting illegally on his property. Give him a ticket and let the judge decide.

One thing that came out and the police were using in the Houston trial is that the Houston brothers didn't stop shooting when the officers went down. Now turn that same thing around here. If he really had a gun, why didn't they shoot him in the arm and take him to jail. Why did they shoot him until they killed him? Why shoot him so dang many times? He was shot many more times than the two that the news was reporting. I know!

I read the KNS story here - (link...)

It states:

The Dickey brothers lived next door to each other. Don Dickey heard the shots his brother fired at the deer and called to ask if he had hit the animal. "He said the deer had took off running after the second shot."

Then, David Dickey said he could see a police car coming his way.

"I asked if he wanted me to come down, and he said, 'Yeah,' " Don Dickey said. "I figured there needed to be a witness to whatever was going to be said."

He said that as he left his house, around 10 p.m., he heard about eight rapid shots. When he reached his brother, he was on the ground, about eight feet from the front of his house, and was unresponsive.

1. Mr. Dickey knew a patrol officer was coming. Why would he go outside with a handgun to meet the officer?

2. Why would a law abiding citizen need a "witness" when confronting a uniformed officer? Discharging a firearm in the county is legal.

3. Friends of Mr. Dickey are quick to point out how much experience he had with guns. Why do they continue to point out that if he was intending to shoot, the officer wouldn't have had a chance? That doesn't sound like a quiet humble description to me.

Unfortunately there is only one witness. Maybe he had a camera and/or a microphone recording the event. It is a shame that someone was killed. At least 2 families will be severely affected by the event.

Those of you whom think that it is legal to shoot deer out of your garden on private property are wrong. Deer can be controlled from anything of monetary value that they may be destroying, but only after obtaining a damage permit from the county game warden. If Mr. Dickey was a life long hunter, he should have realized what he was doing was against the law. My prayers go out to both the family and the young officer in this unfortunate circumstance.

when this happened and heard the shots. It sounded like machine gun fire I s**t you not.It really surprised me when I came in and turned the scanner on and heard that a police officer fired those shots. In my opinion this young officer went into panic mode.

One man has lost his life. Another man's life will be changed forever. I am sure there will be a thorough investigation. Then we can all know the facts. Just say a prayer for both families. That's what they need right now.

first let me explain myself to everyone before i get labled as a "cop." whether or not i am is irrelevant, nor will i confirm or deny. i am someone who is trying to spread a little common sense. cops are humans too beneath their badge and gun. they have families and lives outside of the patrol car. if people on this site have no desire whatsoever to become one, that is fine and completely your decision. those that are officers chose to be cops. they understand the danger that is out there. no one forced them to pursue that career path. but what would you do without them? would mass anarchy reign? could you easily be a victim of a home invasion or worse? who do you call when you have an emergency? 911. and who comes when you call 911. crackheads? no. the police come. they come regardless of what you say about them. they swore an oath to protect you. but until you get in a car and respond to a "hot" call by yourself and have to make an on the spot decision that will alter either your life or anothers life, you are basically an armchair quaterback. it is very easy to question a decision days after an incident, especially if you are not involved or know all the facts. you can proclaim to the world what you would do, but until it's your posterior region on the line, you have no right to pass judgement on someone unless your are a judge, a jury or God himself.

this is something i found on the internet. please read....

Me, the Lousy Cop
Well Mr. Citizen, I guess you have figured me out. I seem to fit neatly into the category you place me in. I'm stereotyped, characterized, standardized, classified, grouped, and always typical. I'm the "lousy" cop.

Unfortunately, the reverse isn't true. I can never figure you out.

From birth you teach your children that I am a person to be wary of...and then you're shocked when they identify me with my traditional enemy, the criminal.

You accuse me of coddling juvenile criminals, until I catch your kid doing something.

You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but point me out as a loafer if you see me having just one cup.

You pride yourself on your polished manners, but think nothing of interrupting my meals with your troubles.

You raise hell about the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you.

You know all the traffic laws, but never got one ticket you deserved.

You shout "Foul!" if you observe me driving fast enroute to an emergency call, but literally raise hell if I take more than ten seconds responding to your call.

You call it "part of my job" if someone strikes me. But its "police brutality" if I strike back.

You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a badly decayed tooth, or your doctor how to take out your appendix, but you are always willing to give me pointers on law enforcement.

You talk to me in a manner and use language that would assure a bloody nose from anyone else, but you expect me to stand there and take it without batting an eye.

You cry, "Something has to be done about all the crime!" but you can't be bothered with getting involved.

You've got no use for me at all, but, of course, it's OK if I change a tire for your wife, deliver your baby in the back seat of my patrol car on the way to the hospital, save your son's life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, or work many hours overtime to find your lost daughter.

So, Dear Citizen, you stand there on your soapbox and rant and rave about the way I do my job, calling me every name in the book, but never stop a minute to think that your property, your family, or maybe your life might depend on one thing - me, or one of my buddies.

Yes, me, the lousy cop.

- Author unknown

That piece is a collection of emotional tidbits that have absolutely no bearing on this situation.

People inside and outside law enforcement have the duty to help mold it and keep it a public service organization. We have a tragedy. A man is dead. An officer's career may be over (not that I equate these two vastly unequal results). Asking about policy and proceedure that could have prevented this horrible occurance is not cop bashing, but simply our attempt to help mold a better community going forward.

Every question must be asked and every question must be answered. WE all need to learn what we can from this and try to keep it from reoccuring.

By the way...I have consistantly called for higher pay and better training for our officers, in addition to citizen oversight.