In Knoxville, Tennessee, Wesley Tipton, 29, faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon following a shooting incident involving an occupied vehicle. According to the Knoxville Police Department, at approximately 5:20 p.m. yesterday, Tipton allegedly fired gunshots at an SUV with two adults and two young children inside.
While driving in a silver SUV, the victims witnessed the suspect as he passed by the intersection of Virginia Avenue and McSpadden Street. Firing his weapon at the victims' car which subsequently was struck at least once, Tipton then reportedly exited his vehicle near them. The children, under two years of age, were seated inside the vehicle during the shooting, narrowly escaping injury as the gunfire missed one of them.
Immediately after the shooting, patrol officers from the West District and members of the Community Engagement Response Team swiftly converged on the scene to locate Tipton. A stop of his vehicle, not long after the incident, was conducted by officers on Middlebrook Pike near Keith and Mingle Avenues. The arrest was made without further incident, and Tipton was taken into custody.
After being detained, the victims provided an identification of Wesley Tipton as the man who shot at their vehicle, leading to his charges, including four counts of aggravated assault. According to the victims, narrowly missing one of the children inside, Tipton fired multiple rounds. His criminal record further complicates the severity of the charges against him, considering his status as a convicted felon in unlawful possession of a weapon.
