Man dies after reportedly shooting himself in the head during incident on Highway 111

At the request of 13th Judicial District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, TBI agents are working alongside the White County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an incident that occurred along North Highway 111 in Sparta this morning (Aug. 21, 2023).

Preliminary information indicates that shortly after 8 a.m., deputies with the White County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Sparta Police Department responded to a reported shooting. According to statements taken from the scene, three men were traveling in a vehicle along Highway 111 when, for reasons still under investigation, a passenger in the vehicle, identified as Javier Lopez Carmona, began firing shots at another passenger in the vehicle. The passenger ran from the area. Upon the arrival of law enforcement, officers observed Carmona raise a gun to his head and fire a shot. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The passenger who ran from the vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Additionally, a vehicle traveling along Roberts-Matthews Highway was struck by gunfire during the incident. No one in the vehicle was injured. At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing.