LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Sisters Lauren Moss and Alex White prepared on Tuesday to attend the hardest funeral they've ever had to attend- their dad's after he was shot and killed by police.
"It's like a dark cloud looming that even after the funeral, it's still going. It's still going to continue," said Lauren Moss.
It's been more than ten days since police in Tennessee shot and killed Paul Derrick Moss II.
According to the Tennesse Bureau of Investigation (TBI), special agents are still investigating the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting in Knox County, Tennessee involving the Jellico Police Department and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
Since the day he died, his daughters have been trying to figure out the reason why.
"Why was he shot? How many times he was shot? What led to them wanting to shoot instead of doing other measures that they're taught?" asked White.
Their questions are ones the TBI says they can't answer yet because of the pending investigation.
The chase started in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where police there say they received several calls about a car driving reckless, shutting off headlights. Chief Wayne Bird says when officers saw the car traveling south on I-75 the driver refused to stop, and that started a chase to the Tennessee state line.
That's where Jellico police and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office chased the vehicle until they say Moss lost control and crashed. An officer or officers then shot and killed Moss.
While the sisters say they've attended protests and shared posts after police killings of Black people- they hoped they would never have to be on the other side creating a hashtag.
"Never in a million years did I think my dad would die by gunfire," said White. "Never owned a gun. He was not for guns, violent person, not a violent person at all in any means."
Which is why White says she's puzzled, not only by his death but about why the chase started in the first place.
"We are still on ice. We don't have any information. And when you call, one place is telling us to talk to somebody else, and they're referring us back to somebody else, and we can't get any information at all," said White.
White says it's even harder to make sense of it, all while trying to grieve and plan a funeral.
"The fact that they didn't think about getting medical attention first versus shooting doesn't sit right with me. It just doesn't make any sese to me. Why would you fire after a car has crashed," said White.
While they understand investigations take time, they say the pain of not knowing doesn't wait.
"Just keep our family lifted in prayers and concerns," said Moss. "It's been difficult on all of us."
As they attend their father's funeral on Tuesday, the sisters say there will be no peace and no rest for them.
"It kind of makes it unreal. It kind of feels like we're still in the midst of a standstill, even though we have to continue to move forward," said Moss.
The only thing they're focused on right now is justice for Derrick.
"We're trying everything we can. Reaching out every day to somebody that will listen, somebody who will be willing to help us," said Moss.
Moss says the family was unable to obtain an independent autopsy because they didn't receive everything they needed in time from the coroner and police department.
"We were planning to send the body to Louisville to do an autopsy prior to the funeral, but we had nothing to do that with," said Moss.
Instead, they're now left waiting for an update in hopes of having a medical examiner review already completed autopsy results whenever they come in.
Throughout the process, TBI will share findings with the district attorney general for her review and consideration. The attorney general will then determine whether the actions of an officer or officers were justified.
LEX 18 reached out to the Jellico Police and Anderson County Sheriff's Office to find out if the officers are still on duty and have not heard back. After repeated attempts at contacting Jellico Police, an officer told us the chief was busy.
TBI does not list the names of the officers involved.
TBI was charged with investigating the shooting and are currently investigating 22 other officer-involved shootings so far this year: Officer-Involved Shootings
