Tennessee football player Brandon Davis suffers gunshot wound, treated for injury

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football player Brandon Davis suffered a gunshot wound in his leg in an incident under investigation by Knoxville police.

He was transported to UT Medical Center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

"We are thankful that Brandon's injuries were minor, and he is expected to make a full recovery," Tennessee athletics said in a statement. "We are gathering information as it becomes available."

A Knoxville police officer was flagged down at 12:32 a.m. Saturday outside a Knoxville bar about an individual suffering from a gunshot wound. The officer wrote in an incident report obtained by the Knoxville News-Sentinel that Davis appeared to have a small-caliber gunshot wound in his upper left leg and was being assisted by several individuals.

Davis, a sophomore defensive back, said he was inside the bar when he heard a gunshot and felt pain in his leg and that he "had no idea who shot him or why." Davis' teammate, sophomore defensive back Trevon Flowers, told the officer he was inside the bar with Davis when the shooting occurred but that he also didn't know who shot Davis.

Officers searched the bar and did not find any shell casings or blood, and were unable to locate anyone inside the bar that heard any gunshots or who saw Davis and Flowers in the bar before the shooting. An officer overheard several people say that Davis shot himself in the leg, according to the incident report.

Davis, in a series of tweets Monday, said he didn't shoot himself and added that he's "never touched a gun in my life."

"I’m an innocent bystander minding my business and randomly got shot," Davis wrote.

Tony Micheu, Davis' father who is a lieutenant with the New Orleans Police Department, said in an interview with the Knoxville News-Sentinel that the idea that his son shot himself is "ridiculous."

“He’s never played or fooled with guns — not even toy guns," Micheu said Monday afternoon. "I’m a policeman with all kinds of guns in my house. He’s never been a gun enthusiast — didn’t want me to take him shooting. Didn’t want to learn how to shoot. Didn’t want to learn about a gun, and didn’t even want to touch my guns ever.

“I guarantee you he’d be willing to take a polygraph. He’d be willing to do anything to clear his name, because that’s not the kind of kid (he is). And it’s embarrassing to our family that my kid, from New Orleans, goes to Tennessee and gets shot.”

Micheu said his son told him that he was in the bar when "he heard a pop like a balloon" and felt "a pinch in his leg" and that he exited the bar to check his leg. Davis was with his girlfriend, Micheu said, and his girlfriend flagged down police for help.

Micheu said his son told him that police did not do a gun-shot residue test on his hands and that police have not spoken to him since early Saturday morning, before he was transported to the hospital.

Micheu said his son is "doing fine" and that he's receiving treatment from the university.

Davis, 20, a New Orleans native who signed as a three-star prospect, appeared in one game last season after not playing in any games during a redshirt year in 2018.

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee football. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.