Reelfoot lake Incident

K

Kevin B

Well-known member
I am just hearing about the Final Flight Outfitters incident at Reelfoot Lake Tennessee that lead to the death of 3 hunters and another in critical condition. I don't know if it was over a spot or setting up to close. Such a tragic loss of life
 
I've been following the situation and from what I've read, 2 adjacent blinds had a bit of a running dispute and the one guy saw a chance to settle it. TBI has a manhunt underway now. 2 dead, another wounded, and the shooter in the wind.
 
Damn, this is horrible. A 70 year old man is the suspect, they have not found him as of this morning..

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/tbi-searching-for-person-of-interest-after-two-bodies-found-at-reelfoot-lake-in-obion/article_314dcfca-5f59-11eb-a9de-77c0f73c466e.html
 
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Sometimes people need to take a step back and realize what this is: It's a bunch of guys, putting out fake ducks, in an attempt to kill live ones. I know it's taken seriously and more so in certain circles. It's not worth your life. It's not worth drowning, getting shot, freezing to death, etc. I understand the frustration of getting setup on top of. Something like this is just sad. Fathers, brothers, sons are now dead and one man is likely going to spend the last years of his life above ground in a cell. Such a shame.
 
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News I just saw said two dead males and looking for a 70 yo male. Crazy and tragic.
I've seen some heated confrontations but none that anyone would shoot to harm.
 
What I've heard is this was an ongoing feud if you will between neighboring blinds over shooting swing birds. Hunting on Reelfoot is largely limited to large, permanent blinds spaced out every 200-300 yards or so. There are some legacy private blinds still in private ownership but as the owners pass, those locations become season-long public draw locations. The shooting happened in one of the public draw blinds and the alleged shooter was apparently hunting a private blind nearby.

Duck hunting and guiding is big business and big egos for a lot of folks on that lake unfortunately and boat ramp fights are not unheard of. Seems silly for so many lives to be destroyed in a moment yesterday over an activity that can be so wholesome and good as hunting.
 
Capt Rich Geminski said:
Wow, truely tragic...
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This makes things here seem strangely civil, ey Rich?
Two guys up by me found a woman by Tanner Park this weekend. She went missing from her water front condo in Amity a week prior. Rough day for all......
 
Terrible story. Very sad for the two young men and their families, and if Mr. Vowell has a family, for them too. It's very cold blooded, there is likely to be more to this story about the shooter.
 
It?s tragic. I hopeful that TBI does a thorough investigation and some day we will know the whole story.
 
Michael McCord said:
These new details certainly make me think twice, no 3 times, about allowing a stranger to hunt with me.
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Yeah, particularly when you consider that this was premeditated murder. There has to be a back-story to clarifies his tipping point.
 
RLLigman said:
Yeah, particularly when you consider that this was premeditated murder.
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I was not aware that all the evidence has even been gathered yet. Doesn't our system of justice call for an actual trial to occur, in order to determine "premeditation"?

Quote from the link provided by Eric;

?Basically, there had to be charges placed to widen the network of different agencies which can search for him,? Thomas told The Messenger this morning. ?That?s the main reason charges were placed at this point.?
 
This is going to get messy and tangled before it gets better. Sounds like the one surviving witness, was the only witness, aside from the accused perpetrator. The altercation between the surviving witness seems very suspect. Truly sad all around.
 
Jay K said:
This is going to get messy and tangled before it gets better. Sounds like the one surviving witness, was the only witness, aside from the accused perpetrator. The altercation between the surviving witness seems very suspect. Truly sad all around.
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I am really starting to fear the 70 year old perished on the lake and his side of the story will never be told, leaving many unanswered questions.

Eric
 
Eric Patterson said:
Jay K said:
This is going to get messy and tangled before it gets better. Sounds like the one surviving witness, was the only witness, aside from the accused perpetrator. The altercation between the surviving witness seems very suspect. Truly sad all around.
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I am really starting to fear the 70 year old perished on the lake and his side of the story will never be told, leaving many unanswered questions.

Eric
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Agreed, the older fellow is likely in the lake. Several questionable aspects to Mr. Crabtree's story.
 
Obviously we?re getting the watered down and media spun version of the story but I agree that the story he told just doesn?t seem quite right. Hope the truth comes out and the families can get some closure
 
Eric Patterson said:
Jay K said:
This is going to get messy and tangled before it gets better. Sounds like the one surviving witness, was the only witness, aside from the accused perpetrator. The altercation between the surviving witness seems very suspect. Truly sad all around.
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I am really starting to fear the 70 year old perished on the lake and his side of the story will never be told, leaving many unanswered questions.

Eric
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And even if he didn't perish in the lake, it's a possibility he froze to death. The living witness, unless the accused is shot, is probably going to be going through a lot more interrogation.
 
"The shooting occurred at a duck blind and, according to Thomas, a witness to the incident has been interviewed.
The witness, Jeff Crabtree, was at the duck blind with Black and Grooms when the shooting happened.
Vowell was alone when he approached the duck blind at the time of the incident, according to the DA, who said Vowell reportedly had come from another blind close by and asked if he could hunt with Crabtree and the two young men.
?And then, according to Crabtree, with no explanation, he shot them,? Thomas related.
In the aftermath, Crabtree took the gun away from Vowell and hit him with the butt of the firearm, knocking Vowell into the water, according to Thomas, referencing a statement the witness gave to a TBI agent."

Dave, Facebook is NOT where I go for truthful reporting.

Well, Dave, here is what is discernable, based on the press coverage and Eric's link: Two people were killed inside the bind they were hunting from, likely at close range. The alleged killer has a private blind adjacent to the site of the murders. Premiditation, doesn;t carry a time-stamp requirementof X amount of time passage prior committing murder, it simply implies thought prior commission of a crime. The report states a shotgun was found in Vonnell's boat, not HIS shotgun. I don'tknow whether Tn. allows use of multiple shotguns for waterfowl hunting.

IF the overall arc of Mr. Crabtree's account does not fit the circumstantial evidence, competent law enforcement investigators generally do not release it to the press.

Here is a local news station's rendition of events via Crabtree's statement:

"Crabtree said the three went to hunt around 6 a.m. Around 9, a boat approached the blind with David Vowell inside. He approached and asked if he could hunt out of the blind, and they said yes.
Crabtree said Vowell was in the process of getting out of his boat, and Crabtree thought it odd that Vowell was loading his gun, because normally you don?t load your gun until you get to your hunting position.
According to Thomas, Crabtree said he turned around and heard a gunshot. He saw Zach Grooms was shot in the chest with a shotgun and shortly after that, Chance Black was shot in the side.
Crabtree managed to wrestle the gun away from Vowell, then threw the gun in the water and knocked Vowell out of the boat he was in.
Crabtree then took off to shore to get help and last saw Vowell standing in waist-deep water, headed toward shore."
 
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