Johnkelian “John-John” Mathis, a seventeen-year-old male, was killed on Sunday, August 8, 2021, in Knoxville, Tennessee. A student at Austin-East High School, Mathis was preparing to enter his senior year where he was recognized as a Project Grad Scholar, had been named Mr. Freshman and Mr. Sophomore, and was a member of the football team. The shooting occurred in the Lonsdale neighborhood following the annual Lonsdale Homecoming event.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, a fight broke out at a gathering near Minnesota Avenue, which led to shots being fired. Mathis was struck and killed. Two other individuals were also injured in the shooting.
The death of John-John Mathis was one of several instances of gun violence involving teenagers with ties to Austin-East High School that year, leading to community outcry and vigils in his memory. Despite pleas from city leaders and Mathis's family for witnesses to come forward with information, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with his murder. The Knoxville Police Department has received anonymous tips, but none have led to a breakthrough in the case, which remains an unsolved homicide. Community leaders have expressed frustration over the ongoing violence and the lack of resolution in Mathis's case.
Earlier in the same year, on January 14, 2021, Mathis was the victim of another shooting. He and a female passenger were shot at as they drove away from Austin-East High School. Three individuals, Ahmad Gatlin, Rashan Jordan, and Deondre Davis, were charged with attempted first-degree murder in that incident. In November 2023, a jury found Gatlin guilty, acquitted Jordan, and a mistrial was declared for Davis as the jury could not reach a verdict. This earlier attack was a separate event from the shooting that ultimately claimed his life in August 2021.
