A celebration at the Osmar Event Center in Knoxville on the night of October 21, 2023, ended in homicide when 20-year-old Nicholas Jovan Sheadrick was shot after a dispute that began in a bathroom and spilled into the event space. The venue on West Inskip Drive held roughly 300 people that night. Witnesses or attendees reported a confrontation involving Sheadrick and at least one other person, after which an unidentified individual produced a firearm and fired, striking Sheadrick.

Officers from the Knoxville Police Department, already near the event, responded to reports of the shooting around 1 a.m. They found Sheadrick outside the center with a gunshot wound; he was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and pronounced dead. Family members describe him as having an infectious smile and a generous spirit; he is survived by his fiancée, a stepson, his mother, and siblings.

The Knoxville Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating and has asked the public for information that could identify the shooter. No arrests have been announced; anyone who was at the event or who saw the dispute is asked to come forward with tips.