Knoxville Police Department detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting that happened on Saturday night in Krutch Park.
Multiple persons of interest have been identified in the course of the investigation, which is being led by KPD Homicide Unit detectives. The investigation, which has continued to stretch into Christmas Eve, has been assisted by numerous Field Operations officers and members of the Community Engagement Response Team.
The victim was transported to the UT Medical Center for treatment. The victim’s injuries were initially believed to be non-life-threatening but his condition has since deteriorated.
Based on the investigation conducted so far, it is believed that the victim was shot in Krutch Park after a brief verbal argument involving multiple unidentified individuals. At this time, efforts remain active and ongoing to locate the identified persons of interest.
Over the coming days and through the remainder of the holidays, the KPD will have a robust presence in the downtown area. Officers will be clearly visible both on foot and in patrol cruisers.
Detectives believe that this was an isolated incident, and there is no known evidence of continued violence.
As of this morning, the adult male victim is listed in critical but stable condition.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible to receive a cash reward.
An investigation is underway following a house fire on Christmas morning.
Crews called to Pickett Avenue and contained the fire to a bedroom but the home suffered a moderate amount of smoke of water damage. Four people who were home at the time of the fire made it out safe.
The home did have working smoke detectors.
KFD Broadway at Fairmont Apartment fire
An investigation is underway following an apartment fire Christmas morning which leaves a cat dead.
Knoxville Fire department crews were called to an apartment building on Broadway and Fairmont Blvd. and were able to contain the fire to one apartment on the second floor which suffered moderate water and smoke damage.
All the residents made it out safe and multiple animals were rescued, however one cat did not survive.
Photo courtesy of WVLT (Broadacres fire)
An investigation is underway following a house fire in Powell.
Rural Metro was called to the 7700 block of Keswick Road in the Broadacres subdivision yesterday afternoon (Monday) . The home suffered heavy damage in the attic.
No injuries were reported and the residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
The Jefferson City Police Department is asking for help to find a man wanted in connection a car theft which lead to an officer being dragged from that car.
Shawn Burger was stopped following a theft complaint but refused to exit the car and as an officer attempted to get him out of the car, Burger accelerated dragging the officer a short distance.
The officer suffered minor injuries. If you see Burger, or know any information that can help locate him, please call 911.
Knox County, TN (WOKI) The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating after two bodies are found Thursday in a South Knox County home.
KCSO officials say they believe the two people died from a possible overdose at the home on Lundy Road. They say another person was taken to an area hospital in serious condition.
KCSO says the names of the deceased will be released pending notification of next of kin.
A rise in the number of respiratory illnesses in our state and now new data from the CDC shows a troubling jump in the number of patients with COVID, flu and RSV needing to be hospitalized.
Over the past several weeks, hospitalizations rose 200% for the flu; 51% for COVID-19 and 60% for RSV.
Doctors say what we all need to do is simple, pay attention to any symptoms you might have and stay home if you’re sick.
The CDC says vaccination rates are lagging right now and have issued an advisory that low vaccination rates with increasing cases could lead to more severe disease and strain on the health care system.
An investigation is underway following a fatal house fire in East Knoxville.
The Knoxville Fire department responding to the call this morning (Friday) at a home on Wilderness Road along with another fire company. The fire was quickly put out and a woman was found in a bedroom was pronounced dead a short time later.
The home has sustained moderate fire, water and smoke damage.
Today (Friday) marks 15 years since one of the country’s worst environmental disasters and it happened right here in East Tennessee.
This is the first year December 22nd will be recognized as an annual day of remembrance for the people who died as a result of a spill at the Kingston TVA Coal Ash spill in 2008 which dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash into the surrounding rivers and neighborhoods.
The company behind the coal ash cleanup has faced dozens of lawsuits from workers, families and even the county.
At 10:00 this morning there will be a ceremony to remember those impacted by the spill at the Roane County Courthouse.
Grades are in: State evaluates Knox County Schools on A to F scale (Pexels / Caleb Oquendo)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Students aren’t the only ones headed home with a report card at the end of the fall semester, so are Knox County Schools.
The state Department of Education released their A to F grades for every school in the state Thursday, offering a snapshot at how every school is performing.
While some Knox County schools are doing well, others need some work. Of the 83 schools within KCS, only about half score As or Bs in the evaluation. Twenty-five schools scored Ds or Fs.
A – 19 schools
B – 24 schools
C – 15 schools
D – 21 schools
F – 4 schools
Four indicators are included in the calculation:
Overall success rate for achievement;
Overall growth;
Growth for the lowest performing 25% of students in the school; and
A college and career readiness indicator for high schools.
KCS Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk said letter grades don’t offer a look at the full picture.
“It’s important to remember that these letter grades are not the complete picture of any school,” said Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk. “There are many ways of analyzing achievement, and I have seen firsthand that every school in our district has outstanding educators and talented students who are doing amazing work.”
Rysewyk also pointed out that TCAP scores showed improvement across the county system, highlighting third-grade reading — last school year marked the beginning of higher standards for third-grade English testing as part of the third-grade retention law — and math.
“It’s also important to keep in mind that last year alone, KCS increased student achievement in all tested subject areas, and made historic improvements in third-grade reading, while seeing math scores rebound to pre-COVID-19 achievement levels,” he said. “These gains not only speak to the hard work and dedication of our students and families, they are proof that – together – we are making progress.”
In its release Thursday, KCS also listed the numerous initiatives it has launched aimed at increasing student achievement and performance in recent months. These include:
Hiring more than 200 tutors to provide instructional support;
Leveraging the regional support model to provide additional classroom support;
Investing $10.7 million in new, high-quality instructional material for K-12 math;
Enrolling more than 6,500 students in summer programming, as part of an effort to close learning gaps;
Creating a strategic plan for Region 5 to address challenges in schools that have faced persistent gaps in achievement; and
Launching the KCS Way for special education, to identify service improvements and policy changes to support students who qualify for special education supports.
“Our district is focused on accelerating learning, and KCS educators, staff, and community partners are united around that goal,” said Dr. Keith Wilson, assistant superintendent of academics. “We will continue to pursue innovative strategies that put student achievement at the center of our work, and we believe this strategy is already producing results.”
Please click here to search for the letter grade for a particular Knox County School.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville couple lands behind bars Tuesday, December 19 after police find drugs and a gun in the open with juveniles present in the home.
According to a police report, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and narcotics unit executed a search warrant at an apartment on Fort Stanley Way around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A number of drugs, including fentanyl, were found in the residence, and a loaded handgun was found stuffed between two couch cushions.
Responders listed what they found in the report:
Loaded Sig Sauer
Almost $1,000 in cash
12.34 grams of cocaine
30.69 grams of marijuana
13.29 grams of a powder that tested for fentanyl
37.6 grams of what police called a cutting agent
27 hydrocodone pills
A THC cart
2.44 grams of suspected fentanyl that had been pressed into pill shapes
Police arrested 31-year-old Kristin Deshea Harmon and 44-year-old Cassius Aubrey Minefield. The pair is now facing numerous drug charges.
