On a Tuesday evening in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 10, 2015, a 48-year-old male named Alton David Crockett tragically lost his life. The events of that night unfolded in the parking lot of a Taco Bell located at 10701 Dixie Highway, where Crockett was found with a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Jefferson County Coroner's office later confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound, though details about the number and location of the wounds were initially
withheld due to the ongoing police investigation.
Crockett, known by some as the 'watch man,' was at the Taco Bell that evening with the intention of selling jewelry. His girlfriend, Janette Pogues, later recounted her unease about the meeting, stating she had tried to persuade him not to go. She mentioned that Crockett also seemed to have a premonition of danger, as he removed most of the jewelry he typically wore before heading to the meeting and was carrying a gun. He was there to meet with Larry Caffee, whom he had previously met at a flea market. Caffee arrived in a car driven by Angela Tingle, with Dennis Stinnett and another woman as passengers in the backseat.
According to Tingle's account to the police, Crockett got into their vehicle to discuss the jewelry with Caffee. The situation inside the car quickly escalated. Tingle told police that Caffee later claimed Crockett had pulled out a gun and was going to shoot him. It was at that point, according to what Caffee told Tingle, that Dennis Stinnett shot Crockett. After being shot, Crockett managed to get out of the car and ran, yelling for help before collapsing in the parking lot. Tingle also informed authorities that Stinnett later admitted to burning her car, the same vehicle they were in during the fatal encounter.
The investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Department led them to identify the individuals involved. Dennis Stinnett, a 47-year-old convicted felon, was arrested and charged with the murder of Alton David Crockett. During questioning, Stinnett admitted to fleeing the scene in the vehicle where the shooting occurred and to destroying physical evidence related to the crime. Police also sought to question Larry Caffee and Angela Tingle in connection with the homicide. Days after the shooting, officers located Caffee and Tingle, who then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash. The pair then fled on foot, kicked in the door of a home, and hid for two hours before they were taken into custody. While Stinnett was the only one charged with murder, Caffee and Tingle faced multiple charges stemming from the police chase and subsequent standoff, including assault and wanton endangerment of a police officer for Caffee.
