SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Donald Britt, the man who was named a suspect in a fatal Wednesday night Sullivan County shooting, has been connected to a second homicide, according to authorities.
Donald Britt was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon following a police pursuit in Johnson City.
In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said Britt has now been connected to two homicides.
Authorities began searching for Britt after responding to a shooting around 8 p.m. Wednesday on Deck Lane near the Tri-Cities Airport. When deputies arrived, they found Katie Arnold, 36, dead.
Britt and Arnold had a “pre-existing relationship,” according to the sheriff.
Neighbors told News Channel 11 that detectives investigated the area for several hours. Jeff Mustard, who owns a nearby townhouse said the usually quiet neighborhood bustled with police activity.
“We had detectives and police in our actual in this association and just knocking on doors asking people if they heard anything if they could help in any way,” Mustard said.
Wednesday night, authorities obtained an arrest warrant charging Britt with first-degree murder in connection to Arnold’s death.
According to the sheriff, the red Dodge Challenger Britt was believed to be traveling in after the shooting was located Thursday morning.
Around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sullivan County deputies responded to a home on Stevenson Hill Road, just down the road from where the first homicide took place, to check on a man after he did not show up for work, according to Cassidy. Deputies found the man dead from gunshot wounds. The man’s name has not been released yet pending notification of next of kin.
Investigators have not determined if Britt knew the second victim.
According to the sheriff, investigators then determined that Britt may have taken the second victim’s vehicle, a beige Nissan Xterra.
The vehicle was spotted in Jonesborough later Thursday morning and a pursuit involving several agencies ensued.
The Tennesse Bureau of Investigation (TBI) confirmed the pursuit ended when the vehicle driven by Britt crashed into a TBI agent’s vehicle in Johnson City.
Cassidy confirmed the vehicle Britt drove during the pursuit was the Nissan Xterra belonging to the second victim.
According to the TBI, Britt was arrested without further incident and transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries from the crash.
The TBI agent whose vehicle crashed into Britt’s was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Cassidy said the investigation into both homicides is ongoing and additional charges for the second homicide are pending. He thanked all agencies that assisted in the suspect’s capture.
“Just an outstanding job by all of our adjoining agencies to quickly locate the suspect and pursue him and get him into custody quick, because he is a huge menace and danger to society and he needs to be incarcerated,” Cassidy said.
The sheriff confirmed that Britt has a criminal history and was out on probation when the homicides took place.
