Deputy Sheriff Angela K. Payne

Angela K. Payne

Deputy Sheriff Angela Payne was killed after she was struck by a vehicle while she was investigating a shooting call on Byington-Beaver Ridge Road in Knoxville.

She and another officer had responded to a business when the sheriff's department received a 911 call about a possible shooting around 1:40 a.m. Because there was no shoulder on the road, both officers parked in the northbound lane of the two-lane road with emergency lights activated. While standing in the southbound lane, both officers were struck from behind by another driver. They were transported by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where Deputy Payne remained on life support until her organs could be donated. The second officer was admitted in critical condition.

No charges were filed against the driver of the vehicle.

Deputy Payne had served with the Knox County Sheriff's Department for three years. Survivors include her mother and grandmother.