Remembering Scott County Deputy April Duncan

SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - Scott County Sheriff’s Office Deputy April Duncan, 34, died in January 2022. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation charged Duncan’s husband, former Scott County Deputy Tommy Duncan, with her murder.

April Duncan began working for the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in April 2019 and went on to become a school resource officer at Scott High School.

Just a couple of months before her death, she graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Academy.

April Duncan’s friends want the officer to be remembered for her service and the person she was, not what happened to her. “We lost a co-worker. We lost a friend, but we lost a sister that day,” said Deputy Danielle Gayheart.

Gayheart was assigned to train April Duncan as a deputy at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. “We had a real good time that whole month together just having fun laughing. She always had a smile on her face,” Gayheart said.

When the two officers weren’t responding to calls, they laughed and talked about their kids. Gayheart said, without a doubt, April Duncan was meant to be a police officer. “She was an S.R.O. at Scott High. She loved them kiddos. I mean, even when she worked on the road a little bit, she was amazing with the public. She was right where she needed to be,” said Gayheart.

More than one year after her death, the shock still hasn’t worn off for people in Scott County.

Every day, Gayheart remembers the month she trained Duncan and their talks on the road. Now, a dog tag with April Duncan’s name and End of Watch date hangs around her rearview mirror. “I know that she’s over me every day. She’s with me every day. Obviously, not physically, but she’s there,” said Gayheart.

April Duncan leaves behind a loving family and three children.

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