In the early morning hours of Thursday, December 19, 2024, a violent encounter in Knoxville, Tennessee, claimed the life of 38-year-old Ernest James Glenn II. The incident unfolded in the 2900 block of Washington Pike, leaving another man seriously injured. Knoxville Police Department officers, initially responding to a call about a gunshot victim at the North Hills Apartments around 3:40 a.m., discovered Glenn's vehicle crashed into a fence nearby.
He was found unresponsive inside, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the investigation progressed, a second victim, a 45-year-old man, was located at the apartment complex. It is believed he was also shot while in the car with Glenn and had fled to the apartments to seek help. This second victim was transported to the UT Medical Center with critical but stable injuries. Authorities quickly determined the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather a targeted attack.
The investigation led police to identify 21-year-old Kevin Martinez as the primary suspect in the fatal shooting. According to warrants, Martinez allegedly approached the vehicle where Glenn and the second victim, Edmond Slone, were seated. He is accused of opening the car door and firing at both men. The motive for the shooting appears to have been a dispute over a stolen cell phone belonging to Martinez's brother, which was later found inside Glenn's vehicle.
Following the shooting, Martinez fled the area. However, he was apprehended in Nashville on the Sunday after the incident as he was attempting to board a Greyhound bus. He was taken into custody by the Metro Nashville Police Department. Martinez has since been extradited back to Knox County to face charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault for his alleged role in the death of Ernest Glenn and the wounding of the second man.
