"So many things are going on here": Viral video of Tennessee man shooting his partner's son sparks wild reactions online

A viral video showcasing a wild series of events in a Friendsville, Tennessee, residence sent shockwaves down the internet. The video depicted an argument between a gun-wielding 68-year-old named Jeffrey Scott West and his partner's 24-year-old son, whom he grazed in the ear with a single gunshot while in front of his mother. The mother and son reportedly ran out of the house and called 911.

After a two-hour confrontation between the police and the man who was locked inside his home, West shot himself to death. The incident occurred on Friday, August 25, 2023, and the footage was uploaded to Facebook by What The News Said and X by @Ragland1836 earlier this week. Netizens were stunned by the viral video, and some commented on how long it took to comprehend the incident. One X user commented:

Netizens could not believe the events that unfolded at the Tennessee residence (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Disclaimer: The footage is graphic and may trigger some readers. Viewer's discretion is advised.

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Netizens left stunned by Tennessee shooting incident

At the beginning of the footage, shot from the POV of 24-year-old Kyle W. Spitze, 68-year-old Jeffrey Scott West, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, opened the door to a room and pointed a gun at Kyle, who was on his bed. West threatened that he was getting ready to blow his "goddamn brains out." Spitze's mother hurried into the scene with her shorts on her ankles and interjected West.

She pulled away West from the door before pulling up her shorts. West tried barging in again, but the woman stopped him and closed the door. Spitze, on the other hand, taunted West by saying,

"Shoot me, and I guarantee you’ll go to jail for life."

Spitze walked outside into the hallway, taunted the gun-wielding Tennessee man once again, and asked him if he was going to blow his mom's brains out. Once he threatened West to point that gun at him again, West obliged and shot him.

Spitze's mother gasped as she asked him if West had hit him. She could be heard telling West that he was going to jail as Spitze panicked outside with blood dropping down onto the wooden floor. The incident occurred on Quarry Hollow Road, Friendsville, Tennessee, on August 25. Spitze and his mother reportedly rushed out of the house and called 911 at 8:15 pm.

The Tennessee man's shot grazed Spitze in the ear and luckily only left a non-life-threatening injury. Jeffrey Scott West, however, barricaded himself in the house and entered into a 2-hour stand-off with the police. The Blount County Sheriff's office detailed that speaking to him with the help of a public address system and diversionary devices failed to get him to surrender. The Sheriff's office stated,

"After those efforts failed, deputies deployed a Sheriff’s K-9 into the residence shortly before 11 p.m. and discovered West deceased by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Netizens could not believe the wild series of events depicted in the video. Social media users speculated that the people in the video were on drugs and had so many questions regarding why Spitze was taunting a man wielding a gun, why the man was wielding a weapon, and why the woman's pants were around her ankles.

Here are a few X reactions to the viral video:

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

Netizens were left stunned (Image via X/@Ragland1836)

The Blount County Sheriff's office stated that Kyle W. Spitze was administered first aid for his ear injury, which was confirmed to be non-life-threatening.