In the late summer of 2016, a promising life was tragically cut short in Harriman, Tennessee. Army Pfc. MarStratton Gordon, a 23-year-old male, was on leave from his station at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, visiting his girlfriend. On the evening of August 28, 2016, what began as a domestic dispute between Gordon and his girlfriend escalated into a fatal encounter. The soldier, who had enlisted in November 2014 and served as a heavy truck driver with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, was a graduate of Heritage High School and had also attended Roane State Community College.
The altercation took a deadly turn when the girlfriend's 15-year-old brother, Jacob Kinney, became involved. According to court documents, as the fight between Gordon and his girlfriend, Amber Kinney, ensued, Jacob Kinney retrieved a. 357 revolver. He then fired a single shot, striking Gordon in the left cheek. The wound proved to be fatal, and emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene on Byrd Avenue. Following the shooting, Kinney himself reported the incident to the authorities and waited on the front porch for police to arrive.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jacob Kinney was arrested and charged with delinquent second-degree murder. The Roane County prosecutor's office announced its intention to try the teenager as an adult, and his bond was set at $50,000. As the case proceeded, a judge ordered a mental evaluation for Kinney to determine his competency. However, the legal proceedings took a significant turn in November 2018. A Tennessee judge ruled that Jacob Kinney had acted in self-defense when he shot MarStratton Gordon, leading to the dismissal of the reckless homicide charges against him.
