KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In early October, a Knox County Sheriff's Office deputy was fatally shot while responding to a domestic call. The death of Tucker Blakely reverberated throughout the community. Processions led through Powell and parts of Knox County before he was laid to rest. Leaders and organizations mourned his death.
Deputies shot Matthew Logan Rose in the same incident — the 30-year-old man who fatally shot Blakely.
Knox County Attorney General Charme Allen said in a letter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 6, 2023, that she believed law enforcement's actions were "subjectively and objectively justified," and said she would not charge the other deputy involved. The case was closed as a justifiable homicide.
"I further conclude that the method, manner and amount of force utilized in this incident amounted to a necessary response to thwart the threat involved," the letter from Allen said.
Autopsy reports on both Blakely and Rose were also released, revealing that Rose's body tested positive for a wide variety of substances. It showed that his blood alcohol concentration was around 0.158 before he was fatally shot, which is nearly twice the legal limit.
A list of positive findings from his toxicology report is available below.
- Ethanol: 158 mg/dL
- Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC): 0.158 g/100mL
- Caffeine: Presumptive Positive
- Cotinine: Presumptive Positive
- 7-Amino Clonazepam: 72 ng/mL
- Benzoylecgonine: 100 ng/mL
- Bupropion: 110 ng/mL
- Hydroxybupropion: 240 ng/mL
- Fluvoxamine: 170 ng/mL
- Desmethylsertraline: 23 ng/mL
- Delta-9 THC: 4.0 ng/mL
- Hydroxyzine: 38 ng/mL
- Mitragynine: 110 ng/mL
Many of the substances found in Rose's toxicology reports have medicinal uses as antidepressants, such as hydroxyzine, which is often used to help control anxiety and manage alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Desmethylsertraline is also a common chemical found in types of antidepressant drugs.
However, the toxicology report notes that Benzoylecgonine is a breakdown product of cocaine. It also said Mitragynine is found in Kratom.
According to the autopsy report, Rose and his wife were in a "domestic issue" before she left the home and took shelter at a neighbor's home. Rose was in an upstairs bedroom when deputies arrived, and several gunshots went off inside it, according to the report.
"The decedent had a past medical history of hypertension, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep terrors, personality disorder, tobacco use, and alcohol use," the report said.
It said Rose had previously received medication including Clonazepam, Destroamp-Amphetamin and Mydayis. However, it also said no prescribed medications were found for Rose on the scene.
The autopsy report said Rose had gunshot wounds in his right cheek, left upper chest, left lower torso and left abdomen involving the chest.
Blakely's toxicology report showed his body tested positive for Midalolam, a kind of chemical used to sedate patients before operating on them. His autopsy report showed a fatal gunshot to the head, and a gunshot wound on the left upper arm, as well as a grazing wound on the upper left side of his back.