Vigil held for teen killed in East Knoxville shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - An East Knoxville family held a vigil Sunday night for a teen lost to gun violence.

Family, friends and teachers came together to remember 16-year-old Stanley Freeman. Family said he was shot and killed in a Friday afternoon shooting while driving home from school.

The Knoxville Police Department, which has not identified the victim yet, said the person shot and killed was not the intended target in the shooting.

Those who came to the vigil across from Austin-East Magnet High School said Sunday night wasn’t about getting answers, it was about honoring Freeman.

Clifford Bishop, who said he was Freeman’s uncle, said Freeman was a wonderful kid with a dream of college.

“He was a good kid. He wasn’t out here on the street, trying to do all of this crazy foolishness that’s going on. He was actually going to school and wanted to go to college,” Bishop said.

Bishop added that it was difficult to be strong when gun violence takes away a child.

“You know, it just takes your strength. The support that we give each other is very important, but we just have to tell each other that it’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to cry. Sometimes people say, ‘be strong,’ but when it’s a child it’s just very hard to be strong,” he said.

Knoxville police are asking for anyone with information to call police at 865-215-7330 or email at racook@knoxvilletn.gov.

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