A man who reportedly opened fire on a Tennessee highway is believed to have been troubled by recent events involving black Americans and police officers, the Associated Press reports.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that initial conversations with the suspect, identified as Lakeem Keon Scott, revealed that he was bothered by recent events. The suspect is black, and the shooting victims were all white, the TBI said.
Scott is accused of killing one person and injuring three others, including a police officer, early Thursday morning. He allegedly fired at a motel in Bristol, Tenn., and then shot indiscriminately at several passing cars. He also is accused of firing at officers who responded to calls to the scene, before he was apprehended.
According to CBS News, Scott had an automatic-style rifle and a pistol on him at the time of the shootings, as well as a large amount of ammunition.
CBS identified the victims as Bristol Herald Courier newspaper carrier Jennifer Rooney, who was shot and killed while driving in her vehicle; Deborah Watts, who was reported to be in serious but stable condition after being shot while working at the Days Inn motel; David Whitman Davis, who received minor injuries after being hit by flying glass as a result of the gunfire; and Police Officer Matthew Cousins, who reportedly suffered a "superficial wound" to the leg.
Scott was shot by officers and is being treated at a hospital, authorities said. According to AP, he has not yet been charged in the incident.
The FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Sullivan County, Tenn., Sheriff's Office; and Bristol, Tenn., Police Department are helping out with the investigation, CBS notes.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times and CBS News.