Do you know who murdered Jerome Locke in 2017? On a summer evening in Knoxville, Tennessee, the life of a young Black/African American man, Jerome Phillip Locke, age 27, was violently cut short. On June 20, 2017, Locke was driving his Audi A6 along Meadow View Road when shots were fired from a passing vehicle. The gunfire struck Locke, causing him to lose control of his car and crash into a tree near the bottom of a hill. A female passenger in his car, identified as Danielle Harris, was also injured in the incident.
Both were rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where Jerome Locke was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
The days that followed were filled with grief for Locke's family and friends. His obituary, published in the Knoxville News Sentinel, noted his date of death as June 17, 2017. Known affectionately as "Jroc," he was remembered as a loving father to three sons. His family, devastated by the senseless act of violence, pleaded for justice but not revenge, emphasizing that more violence was not the answer. They were left with the unbearable pain of not knowing who was responsible for his death.
The Knoxville Police Department opened a homicide investigation into Locke's death. However, the case has remained unsolved, with no suspects publicly identified or arrests made. Information from law enforcement sources lists the incident date as June 20, 2017, and his age at the time of death as 26. These discrepancies with his obituary highlight the complexities of the case. Despite the passage of time, the search for answers continues, with the hope that one day, those responsible for the death of Jerome Locke will be brought to justice and his family will find some measure of closure. The case is listed among the unsolved crimes by the East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, a somber reminder of a life taken too soon and a family still waiting for answers.
