In the early hours of April 28, 2020, the quiet of a Knoxville, Tennessee neighborhood was shattered by violence that would leave two people dead. Responding to a call around 12:30 a.m., Knoxville Police Department officers arrived at the 2800 block of East 5th Avenue to find a grim scene. There, lying in the street, was 60-year-old Randolph Ingram, a Black/African American male who had been shot multiple times.
As investigators began to piece together the tragic events of the night,
their search led them to a nearby residence. Inside, they discovered a second victim, 38-year-old Ashley Marie Hurt. She, too, had been fatally shot. It was a brutal double homicide that stunned the community and launched an intensive investigation by the Violent Crimes Unit.
The investigation quickly yielded a suspect: 30-year-old Lamar Mallett. According to the arrest warrant, the violence began inside Ingram's home. Mallett allegedly entered the residence and shot Hurt in the head. He then turned his weapon on Ingram, shooting him several times. Despite his injuries, Ingram managed to flee his home, but Mallett pursued him. He chased Ingram into the street and shot him again, this time in the back, in the middle of the road.
Lamar Mallett was promptly arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder for the death of Randolph Ingram. The following day, an additional charge of first-degree murder was added for the death of Ashley Marie Hurt. Mallett was booked into the Knox County Detention Center, held on a $500,000 bond, as the investigation into the double homicide continued.
