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The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:49 PM

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Knox County APP Alerts Residents For Dangerous Events Across Neighborhood

KNOX COUNTY - On the night of Monday, April 23, deputies began searching for two men, described as "armed and dangerous," suspected of their involvement in a shooting that left a 18-year-old dead. Through the manhunt, residents in the West Knox County neighborhood reportedly told local news outlets they felt they were left in the dark about what was going on.

For many, their only information about the situation came from an app on their cellphones.

Nextdoor was developed as a social network used to buy and sell items, track down a babysitter, and generate conversation between neighbors. On Monday, it was used to warn neighbors about a fatal shooting and the ongoing search for suspects.

"The app sent me a notification that there's an urgent alert," neighbor Jacquie Schultz told WVLT reporter Robert Grant.

The message advised her and others to lock their doors and turn their lights on while officials canvassed the area. For some, it was the only update they received in their unsuspecting neighborhood.

"I don't think we would've known about it," Austin Derose said.

During the search for suspects, information spread across social media platforms, some of it inaccurate.

"Lots of speculation, lots of misinformation at first," Derose recalled.

"'Lock your doors, turn your lights on,' that was spread around by the app," Derose said. "But no, the sheriff's office didn't do anything to alert us."

The Nextdoor app is free and easy to sign up for, and it can serve as a private spot for neighbors to chat online.

"It was important to me because it made sure I had my back door locked, because when you live in West Knoxville, you don't always think to lock your back door," Schultz said.