In the early morning hours of July 6, 2025, a violent altercation at a Knoxville, Tennessee, apartment complex tragically ended the life of 48-year-old Michael David Allen Velazquez. The incident, which unfolded around 7:15 a.m. in the 800 block of Howard Baker Jr. Avenue, stemmed from a dispute that escalated with horrifying speed. Velazquez was reportedly struck with a hammer before being fatally shot at the scene.
He was a father and was remembered by loved ones as a great friend and a caring individual.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly led law enforcement to identify a primary suspect: 28-year-old Wayne Parham. In the days following the killing, the Knoxville Police Department announced that Parham was wanted on a charge of second-degree murder. While the search for Parham was underway, authorities made an arrest in connection with the case. Kristin Drollinger, 35, was taken into custody and charged with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping Parham evade capture after the shooting.
The manhunt for Parham concluded on July 24, 2025, when he was apprehended in Asheville, North Carolina. His arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Marshals Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force and the Asheville Police Department. Following his capture, Parham was held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in North Carolina, awaiting extradition back to Knox County, Tennessee, to face the second-degree murder charge for the death of Michael Velazquez.
