On April 20, 2020, Christopher Todd Lane, 39, of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, was found dead from gunshot wounds in a convenience store parking lot in Kingsport, Tennessee. The discovery at about 4:50 a.m. at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive and Eastman Road prompted a Kingsport Police Department homicide investigation.

Investigators developed probable cause for the arrest of 26-year-old Brandon J. Castle of Kingsport. Police say their work uncovered ties to drug activity and that Castle was reportedly dealing drugs at a car wash on Bloomingdale Pike shortly after the shooting. Castle was arrested and held at the Sullivan County Jail on charges including second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony; indictments were later returned by a Sullivan County Grand Jury.

The investigation linked the shooting to drug-related activity, but the full circumstances between Lane and Castle remain to be resolved in court. Anyone with information about Lane, the events that morning, or the locations mentioned is asked to come forward.