Alan Brock, 43, died on December 21, 2025, after a violent encounter on Spring Creek Road in the Reliance community of Polk County, Tennessee. Deputies and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers responded to a call about someone in crisis; authorities characterized the subject as experiencing mental health issues. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a trooper fired a service weapon at Brock, and that Brock then shot himself. Emergency crews attempted life-saving measures, but Brock did not survive.

The TBI was asked by 10th Judicial District Attorney General Stephen Hatchett to independently reconstruct the sequence of events by collecting evidence and conducting interviews. The agency noted no officers were injured and that it does not identify involved officers; decisions about whether any force was justified rest with the district attorney general. Online tributes describe Brock as a dentist from Athens, Tennessee, an outdoorsman who backpacked the Smokies and visited Zion National Park, and a husband to Jennifer and father of three. A celebration of life was scheduled at Eastanallee Baptist Church in Riceville.

What details about the encounter on Spring Creek Road might help explain why the trooper fired and how the situation escalated?