Manhunt ends with suspect in custody in Erin, TN

By MARISSA SULEK and CARLEY GORDON

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    ERIN, Tennessee (WSMV) — The city of Erin, Tennessee, can rest easy as law enforcement has located suspect B.J. Brown and have him in custody on Wednesday morning.

Police have been searching for Brown since Monday morning, when police believe he shot and killed a woman execution-style in New Orleans.

Brown somehow showed up in Middle Tennessee that same evening, when he shot an Erin PD officer during a traffic stop.

The search for Brown has traversed miles of wooded area in Houston County, including stretches of Highway 149 and Highway 12 between Erin and Clarksville.

70 officers have been panning the search area where Mary Todd Lewis works.

“I saw some video of where you all were, that really alarmed me because of course I own a business here,” Lewis said.

Lewis owns Studio M off of Highway 13, she also lives down the road where the search has continued as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We got up and started doing some kinds of things to prepare,” Lewis explained.

In addition to the 70 officers, U.S. Marshalls will be coming to help with the manhunt.

Erin Police Chief, Mark Moore said that the traffic stop happened on Highway 149. There, Moore said his officer pulled Brown over and said he wouldn’t follow instructions.

“The suspect then opened fire on the officer, striking him while he’s in his patrol car,” said Moore at a press conference on Tuesday.

Moore added that officers from other counties, teams of dogs and two choppers have been panning the area in search of Brown.

“Heat is playing a factor,” said Houston County Sheriff Kevin Sugg. “And to rotate these teams out of the wooded area, this is a pretty rugged area. A lot of hills and halls, a lot of foliage, we do have some choppers up flying. It’s just so thick, it’s hard.”

Moore said his officer was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Moore also added that he wants the man who put him there caught.

“Rest assured, we will not rest until he’s captured, and justice is served,” Moore said on Tuesday afternoon. “Whether it be by a jury or Jesus.”

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