On the cold morning of January 8, 2022, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the life of 36-year-old Ernest Ernie Knox, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short. At approximately 2:27 a.m., law enforcement officers responded to a call on the 700 block of Rose Street. Upon their arrival, they discovered that Knox had sustained a gunshot wound. Despite the immediate response, he succumbed to his injuries a short time later, leaving a community to grapple with the violent loss.
The La
Crosse Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the shooting, which they stated did not appear to be a random act of violence. Their efforts soon focused on identifying those responsible for Knox's death. Through the course of their investigation, two individuals emerged as the primary suspects. These men were identified as 35-year-old Karvel T. Freeman of Madison, Wisconsin, and 25-year-old Nelson D. Brown of Rockford, Illinois. Both men were subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
Following the issuance of arrest warrants, a manhunt for the two suspects began. On March 9, 2022, Karvel T. Freeman was located and taken into custody in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The search for the second suspect, Nelson D. Brown, continued for several more months. He was eventually apprehended by U.S. Marshals on November 25, 2022, in Mesa, Arizona. In addition to the homicide and endangerment charges, Brown also faced a charge for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The arrests brought a measure of progress in a case that had left friends and family of Ernest Knox seeking justice.
