MOORESBURG — A series of theft complaints and rising tension between a stepson and stepfather may have led to a double murder/suicide Monday night in the Mooresburg community of Hawkins County.
Hawkins County Sheriff Roger Christian identified the alleged shooter as Darran Blevins, 27.
His two victims were identified as Blevins’ stepfather, Dennis Christian, 65, and a family friend, Brandy Seal, no age given.
Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the residence at 443 Mooresburg Springs Road shortly before 8 p.m. Monday on a 911 domestic disturbance complaint made by Seal. Shortly after deputies arrived and identified themselves outside the residence, they heard four to five gunshots from within the residence, Sheriff Christian told the Times-News.
The building was originally described as a barn, but deputies later found out it was a residence with an upstairs loft, although the ground floor was either unfinished or being utilized for storage.
“Upon their arrival deputies heard voices inside, announced their arrival, and at that point heard several gunshots from inside the residence,” HCSO Lt. Detective Randy Collier told the Times-News. “Deputies then backed off and took up position. At that time (Blevins) came to the upstairs window displaying a gun and discharged the firearm.”
Sheriff Christian said he believes Dennis Christian (no relation) and Seal were shot during the initial volley of shots heard by deputies.
That shot fired by Blevins moments later when deputies observed him at the upstairs window could possibly have been his fatal self-inflicted wound, the sheriff added.
Although footsteps were heard upstairs when the HCSO Tactical Unit entered the ground floor of the residence around 11:30 p.m., there was a dog in the residence at the time.
It was during that 11:30 p.m. entry by the Tactical Unit that the bodies of Dennis Christian and Seals were discovered on the ground floor.
Sheriff Christian said that at that point his department took precautions as if the suspect was still alive, armed and on the second floor of the building.
“We tried and tried and tried to re-establish communications, but I really think this was all over by 8:30 p.m.,” Christian said.
Early Tuesday morning, the HCSO’s armored personnel carrier (APC) was deployed at the scene. Later, Morristown police arrived with their robotic surveillance unit, although the layout of the building prevented the robot from reaching areas where the suspect might have been.
The HCSO Tactical Unit fired tear gas into the second floor of the building then later utilized the APC to enter the residence. The call came over the police radio at 4:35 a.m. that the residence had been secured. That’s when Blevins was discovered deceased on the second floor, the sheriff said.
All three deceased have been taken for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, although Sheriff Christian confirmed that all three had suffered gunshot wounds.
Sheriff Christian told the Times-News Tuesday that his department had been called to that residence on three occasions between July 1 and Aug. 16 on theft complaints. There were unconfirmed reports that Dennis Christian had either divorced, or was in the process of divorcing, Blevins’ mother and that the two still jointly owned the property where Dennis Christian and Blevins resided in separate homes.
On July 1, Blevins reported to the HCSO that Dennis Christian had left a note on his door demanding stolen property back and threatening to continue to vandalize Blevins’ residence until the property was returned.
On July 14, Blevins filed a theft complaint of tools and other items being stolen from a barn on the property, although no suspect was named on the HCSO report of the theft.
And then on Aug. 16, Dennis Christian reported the theft of a motorcycle, two TVs and a chain saw with a total value of approximately $4,000 and implicated Blevins in the thefts. Sheriff Christian said none of that property has been recovered, and the theft was still under investigation.
“These reports would indicate a pattern of escalation of tension between Mr. Christian and Mr. Blevins,” Sheriff Christian said. “It seems inconceivable that someone would take such drastic measures to resolve a dispute of this nature. We’re going to be investigating this more in-depth in the coming days and talking to family members, and hopefully we’ll come up with a better picture of why this happened.”
In the hours between the arrival of deputies and the discovery of the third body, authorities had described the incident as a standoff and a possible hostage situation. Dozens of police officers responded to the scene from Hawkins, Hamblen, Grainger and Hancock counties, as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and attorney general investigators.
As many as eight ambulances at one time and multiple rescue helicopters also responded to the scene and were on standby throughout the ordeal. Local volunteer firefighters directed traffic throughout the night, where Route 31 was reduced to one lane due to being blocked by the tractor-trailer that hauled in the APC.
At least three nearby residences on Mooresburg Springs Road were evacuated until the scene was secured.
The Mooresburg community is located on the far western edge of Hawkins County, almost to the Grainger County line. The residence where the incident took place was on Mooresburg Springs Road about a mile west of the Route 31 intersection.
