Knoxville Police Kill Man in Shootout

[JAB]

Knoxville police kill man in shoot-out » Knoxville News Sentinel

Wow, this one hits close to home - literally. My grandmother lived at 2314 East Fifth from before I was born until she could no longer take care of herself. I lived there while I attended UT beginning in '91 and then got a job with the Knox County Public Library and stayed there with her until I got married and moved back to Loudon in 2003. The alley where this took place parallels both Magnolia and East Fifth - it runs between the two. Our carports backed onto this alley. In fact, in the picture that is now with the article, the white building that can be partially seen on the left was our neighbor's garage and the white building on the right was directly across the alley from our carports/garage. The 'depression' in the road is a storm drain that is behind our old garage. The picture was taken from the opposite end of the alley from where the Magnolia Cafe (where the incident apparently began) sits.

I've mentioned on here, before, that there was a drive-by shooting on a house across East Fifth and one house down while I was home one day. Apparently, there may have been other such shootings on that house. I am still convinced the house on the corner was a crack house. It sounds like things have not improved. And to think I didn't even carry a gun until after I moved out of that neighborhood (kept one in the drawer beside my bed, though - and used its presence to 'convince' three guys that they didn't want to continue trying to break down our front door in the middle of the night, one night.)

Edited September 1, 2011 by JAB

[Guest PapaB]

From the article;

The suspect died at the scene.

No officers were injured during the shooting, Holliday said.

Glad it worked out as it did, no officers injured is always a good thing.

Just looking at the photo of the club you wouldn't expect it to be a trouble area. It goes to show that looks can sometimes be deceiving.

[JAB]

From the article;

Glad it worked out as it did, no officers injured is always a good thing.

Just looking at the photo of the club you wouldn't expect it to be a trouble area. It goes to show that looks can sometimes be deceiving.

It used to be a really nice little neighborhood. Was still pretty nice even when I was a kid. When it started downhill, it went pretty quickly.

[Oh Shoot]

Hard to believe anyone ever saw that area as "nice" or "safe", at least past the 1950's.

I came here in 1966 and area on both sides of Magnolia were high crime all the way out at least to Chilhowee Park. Friend lived few houses from the end of 5th he inherited from his mom, it was very rough even then.

We used to party in some of the "clubs" out there, thought it was exciting to live on the edge during college. Idiocy seems to be its own protection sometimes, seems.

I'm pretty fearless, but wouldn't even consider walking around that area anymore. It's all I can do to grab ribs at Scruggs, and sometimes even that is ummm, interesting.

- OS

[JAB]

Hard to believe anyone ever saw that area as "nice" or "safe", at least past the 1950's.

I came here in 1966 and area on both sides of Magnolia were high crime all the way out at least to Chilhowee Park. Friend lived few houses from the end of 5th he inherited from his mom, it was very rough even then.

We used to party in some of the "clubs" out there, thought it was exciting to live on the edge during college. Idiocy seems to be its own protection sometimes, seems.

I'm pretty fearless, but wouldn't even consider walking around that area anymore. It's all I can do to grab ribs at Scruggs, and sometimes even that is ummm, interesting.

- OS

I don't remember it being scary in that area until the 1980s. Sure, you had urban crime like radios being stolen from cars, etc. and the neighborhood over near Austin-East (a few blocks away) was rough but I was never scared on East Fifth as a kid. Maybe I was just too young to know better. As I recall, it started getting really bad in the '80s when the criminal element that used to hang out in the more or less abandoned area where the World's Fair took place got run out of that area (but not out of Knoxville) so that the World's Fair site could be built. I think that is pretty much what drove the final nail in the coffin of downtown Knoxville, at the time, as well.

Now, by the time I lived there (beginning in the early 1990s) it was definitely not such a nice place. In fact, when I first moved there the only handgun I had was a Titan .25. My buddy who worked security at the zoo, at the time, found out that all I had was a .25 and his dad (who had broken his neck and, although he eventually could walk around the house a little, wasn't ever going to be able to shoot, again) gave me a good price on a Colt Police Positive .38 Special (made in '76 from what I can find) that is one of my most cherished handguns and was my first 'serious' caliber handgun. They weren't really 'looking' to sell it but figured that I needed it worse than they did. That's the gun I used to change those three dudes' minds when they were trying to break in our front door.

Now I'm going to hi-jack my own thread. This is for barbecue, however, so it is important. With regard to Scruggs - I used to think they had some of the best ribs, period. They were meaty, smoky and just plain good. Their barbecue pork sandwiches were none too shabby, either. In fact, I'd put Scruggs at their peak up against any barbecue in Knoxville (including local favorite M&M) and most likely choose Scruggs. Last time I went there, however, (which was three or four years ago, I guess) I was pretty disappointed. Haven't been back to see if they had just gone downhill or if they were simply having an 'off' day. Have you been there, recently? Was it good?

Also, ever been to Dixon's, which is more or less across the street from Scruggs? In all the time my grandmother lived there and the decade plus that I lived there, I never ate at Dixons. I guess I just liked Scruggs too much to stray. Never went to Mary's Tamales, either, although I always intended to. My favorite places on Magnolia were Scruggs and Philippine Connection. I never really got all the hubbub over Pizza Palace (it isn't bad but I've had better) and thought that Tic Toc Barbecue (which has been gone for years but used to have a loyal following) was just okay.

[Oh Shoot]

... Have you been there, recently? Was it good?...

(regarding Scruggs BBQ) .. I get ribs to go every 2-3 weeks since they opened in '71. Last trip was maybe 2 weeks ago. Always the same, ie, great. I don't know of anywhere else in Knox area that has the big meaty fall off the bones style they do.

- OS

[Mike.357]

Scruggs is great stuff. Can't imagine anyone makes better ribs or barbecue.

The Magnolia area is a crap hole though and I would not go down there at night.