Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said a rookie officer - during his first day on patrol alone - did exactly as he was trained when he fired his weapon at an armed homeowner who suddenly confronted him during an alarm call earlier this month.

The officer's only mistake, the sheriff said, was that he missed.

"But thankfully he did," Spangler said at a news conference Friday to share the results of an investigation into the Jan. 4 shooting. "By the grace of God this individual was not hit."

The homeowner ducked for cover without returning fire. Property records identify the man as Jason Ludwig, who Spangler said also works for KCSO as a property clerk at the Knox County Detention Facility.

The officer, who Spangler did not identify, was 4 hours into his first patrol shift when he responded to a reported burglary alarm at the home on the 3900 block of W. Emory Road in Powell.

Footage from the officer's body cam shows the patrolman attempt to ring the doorbell, but it didn't work. Clothing strewn on the floor and staircase inside are visible through the glass front door.

He walks around the house to the back patio door to find it locked.

As the officer steps away, the faint sound of a woman's screams can be heard coming from inside.

The officer quickly moves back toward the rear door when it opens and a man steps out, pointing a handgun.

The patrolman fires one round, barely missing the man's head before lodging in a wall.

The homeowner quickly identifies himself as a sheriff's office employee.

"Why are shooting at me?" Ludwig yells.

"You came to the door with a gun!" the officer shouts back.

An investigation by KCSO Major Crimes detectives determined the homeowner had accidentally set off the alarm when he came home with his sister and her infant child. The residents turned off the alarm, but forgot to reset the panic alarm, Spangler said.

A subsequent call from the alarm company went unanswered.

The screaming inside the home turned out to be the homeowner and his sister in the midst of an argument, according to the sheriff.

Ludwig heard someone trying to open the back door, then saw black shoes and black pants through the door's partially-closed blinds.

"I think both people did what they thought was right," Spangler said. "Our officer did everything, as far as we're concerned, did everything legally, and everything within his power to do what he did."

The sheriff faulted Ludwig, however, for being quick to reach for a gun and open the door.

"He should have called 911," Spangler said.

A 911 call would have confirmed an officer already was at the house. So would a quick look out the front door to see the patrol cruiser parked in the driveway, the sheriff said.

Ludwig told investigators he thought it was an intruder outside.

"Maybe so," Spangler said. "But when you come out like that, with an officer that's come to answer that call, and you point that weapon, things can happen."

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