Rocky Mount, Tennessee

From the Rocky Mount Telegram of August 15, 2006

Assailant shot dead by victim

A Rocky Mount man was shot and killed this weekend after allegedly attacking a Whitakers man in his own house, and authorities on Monday cleared the shooter of any wrongdoing.

Authorities said Leroy Thorpe acted in self-defense when he shot 27-year-old Tavaras T. Pittman of Western Avenue once in the chest with a shotgun.

Two other Whitakers men were charged with beating Thorpe and another man with a baseball bat before the 59-year-old Thorpe fired the fatal shot at the trio, Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said.

The incident occurred 3 a.m. Saturday at Thorpe's Whitakers residence, the sheriff said. Thurman Pitt, 55, who lives around the corner, was visiting Thorpe that night, he added.

Larry Donnell Williams, 28, and Tomarae D. Brinkley, 26, both of Whitakers, and Pittman showed up at Thorpe's house, asking for money that he owed them, Jenkins said.

"It could have been for anything – he didn't say what he owed them money for," Jenkins said of Thorpe.

When Thorpe told the trio that he didn't have any money, the three attacked him and Pitt with a bat, authorities charge.

"At some point, one of them said, ?We'll go out and get a gun,?" Jenkins said. "They went out, and when they came back in, Mr. Thorpe shot Mr. Pittman in the chest with a shotgun.

"The first one in took the brunt, and the other two left and ran away."

Thorpe suffered severe head injuries, and rescue workers took him to the hospital for treatment. Pitt's wife drove him to the hospital, Jenkins said. The two were released this weekend, he said.

Thorpe identified his other attackers, and Williams returned to the scene shortly after the incident. Brinkley was captured a little while later at another Whitakers residence, the sheriff said.

Williams and Brinkley both are charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, inflicting serious injury. Bond for Williams, who also was charged with probation violation, was set at $33,000. Brinkley was jailed under a $30,000 bond.

On Monday, deputies conferred with the District Attorney's office in Nashville, and prosecutors opted against filing charges against Thorpe.

Brinkley has been to prison in the past for drug convictions, possession of stolen property and breaking into vehicles. Williams' prison record includes convictions of hit-and-run, assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft, possession of stolen goods, communicating threats, speeding to elude arrest and driving while license revoked.