In the winter of 2018, a domestic dispute in South Knoxville escalated to a fatal conclusion, claiming the life of 51-year-old Michael Crosby. An African American man, Crosby was a lifelong resident of the area and an employee at a local KFC on Chapman Highway. On the evening of January 30th, what began as an altercation between Crosby and 21-year-old Kendall Rivers turned violent.
The confrontation, which took place near the back parking lot of South Doyle Middle School on Taylor Road, ended with Rivers allegedly firing multiple shots at Crosby.
Emergency services were dispatched to the scene around 8:30 p.m., where they found Crosby with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center with what were described as life-threatening injuries. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Michael Crosby succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. His death marked the sixth homicide in the city and county for that month.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Knoxville Police located and took Kendall Rivers into custody. Initially, he was arrested on an outstanding domestic violence warrant that was unrelated to the shooting. However, investigators questioned him in connection with Crosby's death. The ongoing investigation into the domestic dispute that preceded the shooting led to further legal action.
Several months later, on August 1, 2018, a Knox County Grand Jury handed down an indictment against Kendall Rivers. He was formally charged with second-degree murder for the death of Michael Crosby. Following the indictment, Rivers was held at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on a $250,000 bond as the legal proceedings against him commenced.
