On the evening of July 27, 2019, 34-year-old Cole Felton was fatally shot while sitting inside a vehicle on Cinnamon Drive in Jackson, Tennessee. Another occupant of the vehicle survived and provided a description of the shooter. Investigators followed a trail of shell casings to a handgun discarded in the backyard of a nearby home. Phone records and video recovered from the primary suspect showed him holding the gun; forensic testing found gunshot residue on his hands and on a black hoodie he had been seen wearing.

Authorities concluded the shooting was a case of mistaken identity: the suspect, 16-year-old Gerald Crossley, was affiliated with the Ghost Mob, a subset of the Vice Lord street gang, and believed Felton to be a rival gang member. The record states Cole Felton had no gang ties. In 2020 Crossley was indicted on charges including first-degree murder, and his trial concluded in January 2023 with a life sentence for the murder and additional penalties for related charges.

Cole Felton was remembered by family and friends as a kind, loving man known as Uncle Cole to the children he met. Does anyone in Jackson have information about Cole’s life or the neighborhood around Cinnamon Drive that could add context to the case?