THP trooper shot during traffic stop on I-24 in Coffee Co.

MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was shot on Thursday night following a traffic stop in Coffee County.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), a THP trooper stopped a vehicle going west on I-24 around 11 p.m. on Thursday. The vehicle drove off and shots were fired from inside the car, striking the THP trooper’s vehicle.

The suspect’s vehicle was stopped again when spike strips were deployed, causing the suspect to exit the vehicle and open fire, striking one of the troopers. The suspect was hit when troopers returned fire on the interstate.

The Coffee County District Attorney’s Office says the driver who is accused of firing the gun is Darren Laurel Jackson of Illinois.

They say troopers noticed Jackson’s car had illegal tint before the shooting and pulled him over.

The DA’s office says he fled the troopers, stopped at a nearby weigh station, and dropped off a woman. They identified that woman as Lanay Shanay Battle of Illinois, now in custody in Coffee County.

Both Jackson and Battle are 30 years old.

Jackson has a lengthy criminal record in Illinois. We found he was recently arrested in June for driving with a suspended license. He was also arrested in 2020 for resisting or obstructing a police officer.

His records also show Battle filed an order of protection against Jackson four years ago.

The trooper was transported to a Nashville hospital for treatment, while the suspect was taken to a hospital in Chattanooga. The trooper has been released from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Jackson is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Battle is charged with simple possession of marijuana.

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