On New Year's Day in 2018, the life of 27-year-old Kayla Viars of Loudon, Tennessee, was tragically cut short. Just after midnight, Viars was riding in a car near Market Square in downtown Knoxville with two other individuals, Dominick Brown and Marques 'Polo' Wheeler.
According to a witness, Wheeler, who was in the backseat, began playing with a. 22 caliber handgun. The weapon accidentally discharged, and a single bullet struck Viars in the back as she sat in the front passenger seat.
Following the shooting, Viars was driven to East Tennessee Children's Hospital. An unknown male dropped her off in the lobby and left before police could arrive. She succumbed to her gunshot wound shortly after her arrival at the hospital.
The Knoxville Police Department launched a homicide investigation into the shooting. Their investigation led them to identify Marques Wheeler as the suspect. A warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of reckless homicide. Wheeler, who was considered armed and dangerous, was located and arrested without incident on the north side of Knoxville and booked into the Knox County Detention Center. Police also sought and located a person of interest, Dominick Michael Brown, also known as 'TrueStory,' for questioning.
