Arlington man shot, killed by Shelby County Sheriff's deputies

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is conducting an inquiry after two Shelby County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man who allegedly threatened them with a knife in the Arlington area late Saturday night, officials said Sunday.

According to the TBI, the incident began a little after 10 p.m. when the deputies responded to a call about a man “exhibiting some sort of violent behavior” at 9591 Osborn Road, TBI spokesman Susan Niland said in a press conference Sunday afternoon. Jimmy Lee Lawson, a convicted sex offender who had at least two prior domestic violence incidents this year, allegedly walked out on the driveway armed with a knife.

The deputies opened fire, killing Lawson, who would've turned 49 on Thursday. Two other adults were at the home, in addition to Lawson's wife, Janet, Niland said. Lawson and his wife have two adult daughters, Maegan and Mallori, although it's uncertain if they were the ones at the home Saturday night.

Neither the TBI nor the Shelby County Sheriff's Office will release the names of the deputies involved in the shooting.

This is at least the second fatal shooting involving SCSO deputies this year, and the fifth involving area law enforcement. Two SCSO deputies opened fire on Eddie Studdard on July 7 near an industrial park in Cordova after he was allegedly driving erratically, then was involved in a hit-and-run. Deputies said Studdard approached them with a knife, leading them to open fire. Studdard survived for more than two months but eventually died Sept. 4. Despite repeated media requests, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office has not identified the deputies involved in that shooting.

A woman answering the door at the Lawson home Sunday afternoon said the family declined to comment on the shooting. Reached by telephone, Lawson's sister, Gwen Smith, also declined to comment. Family members shared their grief with each other on Facebook on Saturday, with Janet Lawson posting a photo of her and her husband smiling and hugging. The Lawson family is originally from Milan, and most of the siblings still live in West Tennessee.

"My brother Jimmy died last night. There are many things in life we must bear but this is one of the most difficult things to bear. I appreciate those who have expressed love and concern for me and my family. Please continue to remember my brother's wife and girls and also my sisters and all our family," his sister Regina Lawson Michel wrote on Facebook.

This is at least the third domestic incident between the Lawsons this year and at least the second time deputies have responded to their home in recent months, records show. It's possible there were other incidents, but the ongoing problems with records in the new Shelby County court system make it difficult to be certain.

On Oct. 21, Janet Lawson called deputies to report a domestic incident involving her husband, according to an affidavit. Deputies encountered a belligerent and profane Lawson, who smelled of alcohol, the affidavit said. He allegedly threw a cup of some liquid at his wife, but missed her. Deputies attempted to arrest him, but he resisted, the affidavit said. They eventually used pepper spray and physical force to subdue him, the affidavit said.

Deputies then discovered that Lawson was out on bond for a June 5 incident in which he'd hit his wife, according to the affidavit.  His wife told deputies that Lawson was bipolar but wasn't taking his medication. There appears to be no record of that incident in the court system.

On May 18, 2010, Lawson was arrested after he allegedly fondled a woman as she was sleeping in the home where he was living, then tried to further assault her. He also allegedly tried to use a crutch to assault the woman's boyfriend who came to her defense. He also resisted arrest in that incident and had to be restrained. He eventually pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery and was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days of confinement, but court records don't spell out exactly what that means.

That conviction placed Lawson on the sex offender registry, according to the state of Tennessee.

In addition to the two SCSO fatal shootings, Memphis police officers have been involved in at least three such incidents. On Jan. 27, Clement Marks and Alexander Fleites shot and killed Jonathan Bratcher after a police chase that ended in a shootout. The TBI turned that case file over to the Shelby County District Attorney's office for review. The D.A. concluded that it was a justified shooting, and no charges have been filed.

Then, on March 23, Officer Leon Dickson, 36, shot and killed Alexio Allen, 30, at a Raleigh home. The TBI has completed that investigation; the file has been sent to the D.A. for review.

On April 10, off-duty Marshall Smith, 36, shot and killed Luis Soto around 10 p.m. at the Shell gas station at 1781 Getwell Road. Soto was there to return his 4-year-old daughter to her mother. The TBI has also completed that investigation and sent it to the D.A.'s office for review.