Mahlon Tyrone Prater, a 42-year-old Black man, died the night of November 1, 2019, after a violent altercation on the 900 block of Piney Grove Church Road in West Knoxville. Knoxville Police responded about 9:40 p.m. and found Prater with a head injury; he was taken to UT Medical Center and later pronounced dead. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and saw a silver 2012 Ford Fusion driven by a male leave the scene. Investigators say Prater may also have been struck by that vehicle.

Friends and family remembered Prater as kind and hardworking with a passion for the culinary arts; he was a graduate of the UT Culinary Arts program and had worked in local restaurants. The Knoxville Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit is investigating this as a homicide. No arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly identified.

If anyone has information about the shooting, the vehicle seen leaving the scene, or Prater’s last movements that night, please contact the Knoxville Police Department.