On the morning of July 6, 2025, a violent dispute at an apartment complex in the 800 block of Howard Baker Jr. Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, left 48-year-old Michael David Allen Velazquez dead. Police say the altercation escalated rapidly; Velazquez was reportedly struck with a hammer and then fatally shot at the scene. He was a father and was remembered by family and friends as a caring person and a great friend.

Investigators identified 28-year-old Wayne Parham as the primary suspect and announced a second-degree murder charge. While Parham was being sought, 35-year-old Kristin Drollinger was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping Parham evade capture. On July 24, Parham was taken into custody in Asheville, North Carolina, by the U.S. Marshals Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force and Asheville police; he was held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility pending extradition back to Knox County.

If anyone witnessed the July 6 incident or has information about what happened at the apartment complex, please come forward.