On April 5, 2019 in Cosby, Tennessee, 36-year-old John Paul Dunn was found in the driveway of a residence with a single gunshot wound. The shooting followed a verbal and physical altercation between Dunn and his mother that escalated when Dunn’s stepfather, 63-year-old Olin Hellard, intervened.

According to the Cocke County Sheriff’s Department, Dunn had been asked to leave the property multiple times and refused. Hellard reportedly armed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun; after a confrontation in which Dunn allegedly challenged Hellard, Dunn got into his vehicle, began to drive up the driveway, then turned back toward Hellard. At that point Hellard allegedly pointed the shotgun and fired. Officers on scene rendered first aid and Dunn was transported to Newport Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Hellard was taken into custody and later arrested and charged with second-degree murder; investigators concluded his actions were an excessive and unnecessary response to the domestic dispute. If anyone knew John Paul Dunn or witnessed the events that day, please share what you know.