knoxville central high school cheerleader killed

Investigators found two bullets had been fired into the walls of her bedroom, with one fatal bullet striking her in the left side of her head just behind the ear. While in his college dorm room, he swallowed a bunch of Vicodin pills and washed them down with alcohol in an attempt to commit suicide. She said she didnt care about the relationship anymore.. "Everybody started running out real fast saying, 'He got shot,"' he said. on demand Dec 09, 2022 2:00 PM PST. Then, waste no time, come knocking to us at the Vending Services. Multiple gunshot victims have been reported at Austin-East Magnet High School, including a police officer responding to the scene. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. "Everybody kept giving us the name Riley Gaul because of their relationship, because they had seen the way that Riley had treated her, the way he'd talk to her," Merritt said. Riley gave Emma an iPod Touch and she texted him through the WiFi, Walkers friend Seth Armstrong said. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Knoxville native and Central High School graduate Kelsea Ballerini released the music video to her hit song half of my hometown Thursday. When police started interviewing Emma Walkers friends and family members that day, Merritt said the same name kept coming up over and over again. But friends and family recalled Gauls possessive and controlling habits with Emma and suspected the grieving ex-boyfriend may have played a bigger role in her death than he was letting on. Jenny Weldon, Walkers aunt,told the Knoxville News Sentinelthe girl had ended a romantic relationship with Gaul in recent weeks, but he refused to accept the breakup. / CBS/AP. Purple was Emma's favorite color, they said, and wearing it would show support for her family and show a commitment to doing kindness for others. Local Knoxville broadcaster WBIR 10 reported that the police officer wounded in the Austin-East High School mass shooting suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A source speaking with another local news outlet, Knox News, said the officer who was shot was a school resource officer. He could come over to the house they would meet up after football games to eat, and things like that.. Gaul took to social media to mourn Walker, posting a series of tweets and a lengthy Facebook post. Emma's 21st birthday would have been this week and to honor her, her family is asking everyone to do something kind for someone else. Office hours are Thursdays & Fridays, 9:00am to 5:00pm. By Tim Stelloh One student was killed and a police officer was injured Monday in a shooting at a high school in Tennessee, authorities said. She was a junior at Central High School, a member of the The suspect that was led away in handcuffs is reportedly being detained for questioning regarding the incident. WebThe body of the high school junior was discovered about 6:30 a.m. Monday at 6802 Cardindale Drive in North Knox County. The arrangement didnt sit well with Emmas parents, but Emma could be stubborn. Gaul said he thought he had spent Friday night at his friend Noah Waltons house. "When I first got there, I started my photographs on the outside of the residence. She's like, Zach, I'm getting these really weird text messages [that say] Come outside alone if you don't want to see a loved one get hurt, Greene said. Friends and family of Emma Walker are invited to Central Baptist Church of Fountain City. The suspect and victim knew each other, Knox County School System Superintendent Bill McIntyre said. Since her death, Emma Walkers family has tried to keep her legacy alive. A local news outlet in Knoxville, Tennessee has reported that an individual has been detained as a suspect in the shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School that left multiple people wounded. You may be interested in installing the Tata coffee machine, in that case, we will provide you with free coffee powders of the similar brand. He had his hands on his head. He was very likable., I thought he was a very nice looking young man, well-mannered, her father Mark Walker added. He didn't have a whole lot of passion or concern.. "Consistent with her reaching out to Riley regarding the events Saturday morning he was attempting to get her to ask him for help again, sort of to be her protector. Lyle said friends told Walker that they didnt like the way Gaul treated her, but she just kind of brushed it off, Lyle said. Gaul was previously indicted on charges of first degree murder, especially aggravated stalking, theft, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, and felony murder charges. One man was killed and a police officer injured at a Tennessee high school shooting on Monday afternoon. Students in the cafeteria began crying and scrambling to leave, while others tried to get in the room, thinking they had missed a fight, witnesses said. In the state of Tennessee, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. Do you look forward to treating your guests and customers to piping hot cups of coffee? "And (Sunday night) I used one of my friends' phones on campus to call her. Detectives asked Gaul about the gun, but he told them he didn't know where it was. Please enter valid email address to continue. She was a cheerleader and student at Central High School. WebThe funeral service will follow at 3 at Hill Cemetery. Ex-college football player on trial for ex-girlfriend's murder. The school, which has about 1,400 students, was placed on lockdown after the shooting. When Walker failed to meet up with her mother that morning as planned, Jill Walker returned to home and found her daughter and Gaul in the front yard. https://usatodayhss.com/2016/college-football-player-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-high-school-cheerleader, College football player charged with murder in death of high school cheerleader. ", Signs of an unhealthy relationship and what you should do about it. They said they dropped Riley outside.'". It's not OK," she said. Mardi Growl to close several roads in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, What you need to know about paying to park in the Great Smoky Mountains, Severe storms move through East Tennessee, Wednesday marks Emma Walker Day, honoring teen killed by ex-boyfriend in 2016, Judge who presided over Eric Boyd, A.J. "I took off running and ran outside and called my mom," Matthews said. "You said that she's nonresponsive?" Matthews said he thought it was a fake at first but then realized the shooting was real. At this point, detectives said they knew from McCarty that Gaul had shown his friend his grandfather's gun. Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said she visited the officer who was shot at Austin-East Magnet High School and said he was in good spirits.. There was blood everywhere. I know I called 911. "Obviously there's concerns for their safety. He was sentenced to life in prison. At his sentencing hearing today, Gaul, who did not speak during his trial, apologized to the Walkers for killing their daughter, but stuck by his defense that it was an accidental shooting. For more information, please see Ms. Bri Dowis in the cafeteria during your lunch or in the guidance office. Emma Walker's parents, Jill and Marker Walker, are seen here during an interview with ABC News' "20/20. Maryville coach Shaun Hayes said through a spokesman that Gaul has been dismissed from the football program. Investigators had their suspicions, too especially after a witness in the neighborhood told detectives she believed Gaul had been the man in black trying to terrorize Emma the day before her death but they didnt have enough to pin the murder on him until two unlikely heroes stepped forward with a new lead in the case. Most importantly, they help you churn out several cups of tea, or coffee, just with a few clicks of the button. The account says the 16-year-old's dream was to become a nurse. Watch Later. Every day for the rest of his life, wherever that may be, he will have to live with that reality. Thus far there have been 130 mass shootings since the start of 2021, more than during the same period in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Knoxville Central High School. But then after a while was when we got kind of concerned.. Welcome to The Independents rolling coverage of a mass shooting at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. "He was a good kid who was dealt some bad cards in life.". I walked in, photographed the interior of the residence. The officer was transported to UT Medical center. Walked into the bedroom photographed the bedroom," Bules said. His attorney said he plans to appeal the ruling. by Webb. Police said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation would lead the probe into the shooting, while the Purple armbands honor murdered Central High cheerleader at state football playoff game Authorities apparently decided Gaul was a prime suspect early in the probe. He just looked confused. Afterward, Gaul told detectives, he went over to his grandparents' house briefly and then drove back to his college. Her sudden death initially seemed to be a mystery, but investigators ultimately discovered a bullet hole in the bedroom wall, suggesting that as the 16-year-old was sleeping, someone crept up outside the home and fired two bullets into the side of the house before sneaking away virtually unnoticed. She wasnt OK with it, but she did let it happen, friend Lauren added. Because he had a way of isolating her and making her think that he was the only one.. He was a high school football player, she was a cheerleader in Knoxville, Tenn. At Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, a Friday night in autumn means a football stadium bathed in lights and two teams battling it out on the gridiron in front of a sea of red and black -- everyone decked out in support of the home team, the Bobcats. Just hours after calling law enforcement authorities, the 18-year-olds were ready to carry out the plan. Walker was immediately uneasy, Greene said, and she didn't really know what to think. "Once the detective got there, we were asked to leave the residence," Jill Walker said. When Gaul left the sheriff's office, McCarty said he started getting text messages from him, asking why he had told the police about the gun. Gaul was booked into the Knox County Jail on a $750,000 bond. They also uncovered spent shell casings and a live round in the grass outside her home. Seemingly dejected, Gaul walked off down the street, alone. Her family said before sentencing that they thought Gaul deserved to be executed. Once there, Gaul said, he broke down and cried for "two, three hours" in his car over breaking up with Walker. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, the fund has raised $1,408 of the $20,000 goal. Walker's friends and family were devastated. She would come out of her room, eat dinner with us, and socialize with us., Walker had even texted her friend Keegan Lyle to say she and Gaul were done for good., She just came to the realization that she deserved better, Lyle said. "He tried to have a tough exterior, like a shield, to fit in," his uncle Roger McDonald said. The operation was a success and Gaul was arrested. Authorities portrayed him as a jealous and possessive ex-boyfriend who harassed Walker. Upon approach of the subject, shots were fired, police said in a statement. 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Should you be?, the detective responded. But, as he was describing this in the interrogation room, Merritt said Gaul was "emotionless. Greene said that Walker thought it was one of Gaul's friends playing a prank on her, but that she texted back, threatening to call the police. Friends said they grew concerned because it became apparent to many of them that Gaul didnt want Walker to hang out with anyone but him. Emma texted with her friend Keegan Lyle about a homework assignment, then went to bed a little after midnight. WebKnoxville 0:04 0:57 The case of murdered Central High School cheerleader Emma Jane Walker will be profiled on "Dateline" tonight at 10 p.m. on NBC. "I think when they become quiet and withdrawn, it's a big sign too. Web1:07 William Riley Gaul will serve no extra prison time besides a mandatory life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend, Central High School honor student and cheerleader Emma Walker. In one tweet, he wrote, "Rest easy now sweetheart. His trial date on charges related to the death of 16-year-old Emma Walker was set for April 30. The YouCaring account says, "Our hearts are heavy with the tragic loss of Emma Walker of Fountain City, Knoxville. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. These services (at no. ", "What stood out to me from these tweets immediately was the repetitive nature of him saying, 'I love you. It's been in his heart. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --A football player at Division III Maryville College in Tennessee faces a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a 16-year-old girl who had reportedly recently broken up with him. I love you. I love you forever and always. Knoxville police confirmed that the man reportedly armed was killed in a shootout at Austin-East Magnet High School around 3.15 pm local time.