In the early morning hours of January 29, 2025, the life of 33-year-old Hezikiah LeKeith Wilcox of Powell, Tennessee, came to a tragic end in Clinton. An African American man known affectionately as 'Butter' to his loved ones, Wilcox was leaving his job at Eagle Bend Manufacturing just after 6:30 a.m. with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. It was at that moment that he reportedly produced a handgun and shot himself.
The vehicle, a car driven by Wilcox, subsequently crashed into a
drainage ditch. When officers from the Clinton Police Department arrived at the scene on J.D. Yarnell Industrial Parkway, they found Wilcox unresponsive inside the wrecked vehicle. His girlfriend, who was unharmed in the incident, told police that Wilcox had shot himself as they were leaving the facility. Responding emergency services from the Clinton Fire Department and Anderson County Ambulance Service pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators found a handgun next to Wilcox's body and noted an injury to his head consistent with a gunshot wound. While the incident remains under investigation, authorities have stated that all indications suggest the wound was self-inflicted. His body was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for further examination by the state's Medical Examiner's Office. There have been no reports of any arrests or suspects in connection with his death. He is remembered by his family as a selfless and joyful son, a devoted father to his four children, and a protective brother.
