The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff Reports
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2018 12:43 PM
Knox Police Report 20 Homicides In 2017 Already, Turn To Public For Help
"To date, we are at 20 homicides in our city," said Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch. "We have, for the past couple of years, been averaging around 18, so clearly we are above average in our homicide rate right now," he added.
Chief Rausch said there have been three homicides this year officers still don't know much about.
"We still need a lot of assistance from the community," said Chief Rausch
"They're scared to call it in because they think something might happen to them," said Chief Rausch.
Police said only one person out of 50 spoke up after a shooting last month in Austin Homes.
Investigators said the common threads connecting the most recent shootings are drug related activity, which police said led to the deaths of two men in Montgomery Village in June, and interpersonal relationships.