Police have released the names of four individuals who were hospitalized for gunshot wounds after a shooting in the Fort Sanders neighborhood near 16th and Forest Avenue Saturday night.
Two of the individuals are reportedly in serious condition, while the other males have sustained injuries that are not life-threatening.
Three victims — Blake Cue, Alexander Eberly and Jordan Rusinek—and one suspect — Jonathon Emert—have been identified in the incident.
KPD reports that upon arrival, Cue was found on the sidewalk “suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.” Elberly sustained a gunshot wound to his hand and Rusinek was driven to Fort Sanders Hospital with gunshot wounds to both upper legs and crotch areas.
Emert, a suspect in the case, was found at the base of the steps from Apartment C of the house with one gunshot wound to the chest.
KPD lists an unknown black male and an unknown white female as two other suspects in the case.
All identified individuals involved are between the ages of 21 and 24 and it has been confirmed that none are UT students.
KPD’s preliminary investigation reveals that all individuals were inside the Forest Avenue apartment during an illegal drug transaction. Officers saw marijuana, drug paraphernalia and shell casings in the apartment when they carried out the initial security sweep.
Charges have been filed against Anna Foster, a resident of the home, for possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
On Saturday evening, Knoxville Police officers responded to “multiple reports of shots fired” at 1537 Forest Ave. at 6:25 p.m. No word yet on the location of the person with a firearm who was last seen heading east on Highland Avenue, according to UT Police.
A neighbor from across the street, Anton, said he heard shots Saturday evening and came outside onto his porch to see what was happening.
“I saw a kid on the ground, bleeding, hunching forward and screaming,” he said.
Another Fort Sanders resident who requested not to be named also heard the shots and saw at least two ambulances helping injured individuals onto gurneys.
“I heard a shot,” she said. “Maybe 10 minutes later I heard sirens and I looked outside. A young man was on the ground in the parking lot … A young woman was nearby, visibly upset, a cop escorted her to her car.”
UTPD encouraged residents to be cautious, and previously tweeted to “get to a safe location and barricade while police investigate.”
Students had not received a UT text alert as of 7:30 p.m. UTPD told The Daily Beacon they were having problems with the text alert system. In a safety notice sent out at about 10 p.m., UTPD apologized for the oversight.
“Upon receiving the report, UT Police Department sent a UT Alert message to an internal list of personnel, which was then shared on Twitter via @UT Police,” the email read. “It was then discovered that the UT Alert text and e-mail message did not reach the entire community. By that time, police were on the scene.”
The investigation is ongoing, and KPD is continuing to gather evidence and statements from witnesses.