News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The TBI is investigating the circumstances surrounding a man who died while being arrested by Cookeville Police officers early Friday morning.
Preliminary information indicates that the incident occurred at 12:30 Friday morning when Cookeville Police responded to reports of a man walking in the median of Interstate 40 near mile marker 288.
Police said 37-year-old Richard Thomas Sparks became combative when they responded to the scene. Two officers eventually handcuffed Sparks and a short time later he became unresponsive.
Officers made several attempts to revive Sparks on scene. The report says the officers suspected a drug overdose and administered a dose of naloxone. When that was unsuccessful officers attempted to revive Sparks by using a portable Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), which was also unsuccessful.
Sparks was transported to Cookeville Regional Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The TBI will submit their investigative findings to the District Attorney’s Office for further review and consideration.
