SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Alan Coulter, a Bristol, Tennessee man accused of shooting a Sullivan County deputy, was arraigned on Monday. News Channel 11 acquired court documents detailing multiple allegations of violence over several years.

According to documents filed by Judge David Tipton to transport Coulter to the Sullivan County Jail without bond, he is facing the following charges:

  • Attempted First-Degree Murder (2 Counts);
  • Reckless Endangerment;
  • Unlawful Possession of a Firearm;
  • Possession of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony;
  • Aggravated Assault (3 Counts);
  • Failure to Appear

Several of the included charges stem from previous incidents. The three domestic violence charges were filed in Dec. 2021 after Coulter allegedly appeared armed at an ex-girlfriend’s home and threatened to “shoot everyone if she didn’t let him in.”

In the arrest warrant issued for Coulter, witnesses say he was let inside by the victim, began beating her and loaded a magazine into the gun before threatening to shoot others inside the residence.

Another domestic assault charge was filed against Coulter in 2019. In related documents, a woman alleges she caught Coulter with another woman and when they began arguing later, Coulter slapped her on the top of the head. The case was rescheduled, and the court says Coulter failed to appear.

According to the most recent filing to date, Coulter has been ordered not to contact the victims of the charges.

In addition to previous charges, court records shed light on the circumstances that led to the shooting on Friday. An affidavit filed in Washington County General Sessions Court says officers initiated a traffic stop near Riley Hollow Road around 12:45 a.m. on Jan. 21. After a pursuit, officers reportedly found Coulter inside a garage structure. During the encounter, the affidavit says Coulter fired at deputies and injured one, prompting both officers to return fire in “close proximity” to Coulter.

The injured deputy was removed from the scene, and Sullivan County SWAT were called in to assist. The affidavit says Coulter continued to fire at officers in the area and eventually came out of the garage before being arrested. While deputies searched Coulter, the affidavit says they found a semi-automatic handgun.

Coulter was also revealed to be a convicted felon after a criminal history check. According to a background check provided by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Coulter served two years in the Morgan County Regional Correctional Center in connection to a charge of Evading Arrest in 2011. Tennessee law states that when one uses a motor vehicle to evade arrest, charges can be upgraded to a Class E felony.

The deputy was reported to be in stable condition by authorities and Ballad Health over the weekend.

At the request of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and the injured deputy’s family, a name will not be released at this time.