Heath Steele, 43, was shot and killed on Interstate 24 in Marion County on August 23, 2022, in what authorities described as a road rage incident. The confrontation between Steele and another man escalated on the highway and ended with Steele’s fatal shooting, leaving the Jasper community sharply affected by the loss.

Investigators identified Kristopher Pappas as the suspect. The case was presented to a grand jury, and prosecutors moved forward with charges. At trial Pappas argued he acted in self-defense; a jury convicted him of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment and imposed a five-year prison sentence.

A Tennessee appellate court later reviewed the convictions and reversed the aggravated assault conviction, ordering a new trial on the lesser charge of attempted voluntary manslaughter while upholding the reckless endangerment verdict. The partial reversal means the legal outcome in Steele’s death remains unresolved.

If anyone witnessed the highway confrontation or has additional information about the incident, please share what is known.