TN - David Vowell, 70, (found deceased), shot and killed two duck hunters, Obion Co., Jan 2021

[cuffem]

I’ve been thinking that if he was armed and this witness ran away, he could have carjacked someone and made them drive him somewhere.

I’m certainly not defending these actions with my above post but I do wonder if dementia could be a factor. People who have that can be quick to get angry and frustrated.

Dementia very well could be the cause. My neighbor has been having same issues with alcohol mixed in and I have been trying to sound the alarm but after 4 arrests in 3 months, the police say they can only arrest him. Tried to get the HOA to get involved but they could not and after he came to my door at 4 am I stopped contact because I felt he was unsafe. Nothing will happen for him until he hurts himself or others. Sorry for the Out of Thread Discussion but I felt it was relevant.

 

[cuffem]

Boy! this reporting is all over the place. I have read at least 8 different articles and they all contain at least one thing different from the others.
This one states Jeff Crabtree was inside the blind when the other 2 were shot. It states he went and knocked the gun from Volwell. That takes some guts to run up to an armed man that you just witnessed shooting your 2 friends. Why did Volwell not shoot him as he was coming out of the blind? I would think most people would be running the other way.
Search suspended for Reelfoot Lake shooting suspect; survivor tells investigators what he witnessed

 

[cuffem]

I had to delete my post when the link would not work and I am not sure why.
I will say there is another story about this case as I suspected.

 

[worm]

Boy! this reporting is all over the place. I have read at least 8 different articles and they all contain at least one thing different from the others.
This one states Jeff Crabtree was inside the blind when the other 2 were shot. It states he went and knocked the gun from Volwell. That takes some guts to run up to an armed man that you just witnessed shooting your 2 friends. Why did Volwell not shoot him as he was coming out of the blind? I would think most people would be running the other way.
Search suspended for Reelfoot Lake shooting suspect; survivor tells investigators what he witnessed

You too eh? I read those and scratched my head in confusion. If the witness was hunting, I guess he was armed? Was it duck blind or boat? One account says he ran and another says he took the victims for help.

 

[cuffem]

You too eh? I read those and scratched my head in confusion. If the witness was hunting, I guess he was armed? Was it duck blind or boat? One account says he ran and another says he took the victims for help.

The other story will come out soon.

 

[sandy_80]

i have one relative with dementia and the worst thing she did was accuse relatives of being thieves ...besides we know its a claim noting coming from a doctor..he could be taking some pills

 

[Cryptic]

If the witness was hunting, I guess he was armed?

Yes, he would have been armed. But as he was hunting ducks (birdshot), he may, or may not of had ammunition capable of stopping an armed human.

Dementia very well could be the cause.

Possible, but there is also the possibility of too many hunters in too small of a lake with not enough ducks. Though I am not familiar with duck hunting (it sounds like fun), the lake evidently has an awful lot of hunters.

Then add possibilities of some not following etiquette regarding who should shoot at what ducks, who is, or is not "local", and some who make territorial claims to public property, egos etc.

Then factor in that not all rules are written down, the unwritten rules can change and some humans routinely exempt themselves from unwritten rules they expect others to follow and things can get heated.

As a side note, surfing also has the same elements and violent surfer "beat downs" happened yearly when I lived in SOCAL. The root cause to the violence was that surfing had exploded in popularity and there were too many surfers and too few waves (well, too few waves of the surfable kind).

Then add egos to surfing's, unwritten rules, territorial "claims", unstated "seniority" privelages etc. I think the only thing that prevented a shooting incident was that surfers need to get in the water- and that is not good for firearms.

 

[worm]

@Cryptic , great analogy on surfing. I’ve seen the exact same kinds of things at a local campground that has a big horse riding crowd. Spats about camp spots with a corral being taken by non riders turns to fist fights. I’m expecting the same at this lake based on that FnS article.

My dad and family were big on the outdoors and they used a “number 8” shell for this type of hunting which was a powerful blast. I would just expect someone sitting there with a shotgun to return fire. Now, I’m not trying to go into a gun/defense gun debate with this, just saying it seems odd that an armed guy would choose hand to hand combat after seeing him shoot 2 people. I may be wrong, but I’m assuming Vowell used a shotgun, is that not correct?

 

[Warwick1991]

I think there’s something wrong with the story. As noted by others, Vowell presumably has a shotgun with birdshot - shotshells with a smaller pellet size suitable for duck hunting. Killing 2 people outright with this type of shotshell is unlikely... We don’t know what kind of shotgun was used, but there are hunters out there who use double barrel shotguns with only 2 shots. There are semi-automatic shotguns with more rounds, but either type would not necessarily be suitable for killing 2 people quickly. A duck blind is close quarters for using a firearm with a long barrel; it doesn’t seem like a double homicide with a shotgun could occur in a duck blind. In close quarters, it would be possible to grab or push the shotgun barrel away, especially by young and fit people. The scenario seems illogical, and Vowell doesn’t seem to have a criminal history.

When I first read this story, I didn’t find it credible, and I don’t find it credible now. The dead and the missing can’t speak, but I don’t think Vowell is the perpetrator. The survivor’s story doesn’t mesh with what was found. The survivor says that he threw Vowell’s shotgun in the lake, but it was recovered from Vowell’s boat.

 

[sandy_80]

if you are hinting that the survivor is the killer...then where is the old man?
..he brought help .. its not like he was the killer and he killed 3 and then he hid a body and made up a story .

 

[worm]

I admit that I do not know what kind of weapon was used but if it was the guns that are often used in these hunts then I’d invite people to look into the power that these shells pack. They can be very deadly to a person and don’t underestimate just because it’s a bird shot. I’m not so sure either that the shooter was actually in the blind with them either. Heck, was there even a blind? We’ve heard boat too. As I said, for all we know the guy could have had a .22 pistol on him but those shotguns and shells are extremely powerful.

 

[Warwick1991]

if you are hinting that the survivor is the killer...then where is the old man?
..he brought help .. its not like he was the killer and he killed 3 and then he hid a body and made up a story .

The scenario has unknowns. There’s room for doubt, or at least verification. The atmosphere at this lake sounds a bit toxic. If Vowell was not the killer, he might have been shot/wounded and tried to conceal himself. He could have collapsed and died in the woods. Vowell could also be in the water. It will require a lot of investigation to figure out what happened. LE has Vowell’s shotgun. The fatal wounds can be examined to see if the shot type matches what Vowell was carrying, or another firearm entirely. Vowell may had another weapon, in addition to the shotgun.

 

[worm]

And to compare. I’ve often heard a 410 gauge called a “bird gun” but it too is very powerful also. These are often given to younger people, I got mine at 12, but they carry a tight pattern of shot and are deadly weapons for such a casual reference.

 

[Marg from Oz]

My intuition is telling me that this was staged. MOO

 

[Warwick1991]

I admit that I do not know what kind of weapon was used but if it was the guns that are often used in these hunts then I’d invite people to look into the power that these shells pack. They can be very deadly to a person and don’t underestimate just because it’s a bird shot. I’m not so sure either that the shooter was actually in the blind with them either. Heck, was there even a blind? We’ve heard boat too. As I said, for all we know the guy could have had a .22 pistol on him but those shotguns and shells are extremely powerful.

I’ve read that a shotgun blast with birdshot can create a devastating wound if the muzzle is close to a person, so the distance is critical. Perhaps the 2 young men were in the blind and the shooter shot them from right outside the blind. The news articles indicate that the 2 young men were shot with a shotgun.

 

[worm]

I’ve read that a shotgun blast with birdshot can create a devastating wound if the muzzle is close to a person, so the distance is critical. Perhaps the 2 young men were in the blind and the shooter shot them from right outside the blind. The news articles indicate that the 2 young men were shot with a shotgun.

Exactly. And laws are probably different in from state to state but these guns can have a “choke” which constricts And makes the pattern tighter, for a longer distance before resistance will cause the pellets to spread. Either way, they can be effective and deadly in the 40+ yard range. I’m no gun expert but just grew up around them and took the safety courses in my youth.

 

[cuffem]

I think there’s something wrong with the story. As noted by others, Vowell presumably has a shotgun with birdshot - shotshells with a smaller pellet size suitable for duck hunting. Killing 2 people outright with this type of shotshell is unlikely... We don’t know what kind of shotgun was used, but there are hunters out there who use double barrel shotguns with only 2 shots. There are semi-automatic shotguns with more rounds, but either type would not necessarily be suitable for killing 2 people quickly. A duck blind is close quarters for using a firearm with a long barrel; it doesn’t seem like a double homicide with a shotgun could occur in a duck blind. In close quarters, it would be possible to grab or push the shotgun barrel away, especially by young and fit people. The scenario seems illogical, and Vowell doesn’t seem to have a criminal history.

When I first read this story, I didn’t find it credible, and I don’t find it credible now. The dead and the missing can’t speak, but I don’t think Vowell is the perpetrator. The survivor’s story doesn’t mesh with what was found. The survivor says that he threw Vowell’s shotgun in the lake, but it was recovered from Vowell’s boat.

From what I have read only Crabtree was inside the blind and the 2 young men outside and Volwell in the boat until he was knocked out of it by Crabtree and into the water.

 

[worm]

From what I have read only Crabtree was inside the blind and the 2 young men outside and Volwell in the boat until he was knocked out of it by Crabtree and into the water.

So this could explain why Crabtree wasn’t shot at with them? The boat must have been right at the shore for this. I’m always weary when there is a murder with witnesses left given the mindset of most killers.

 

[cuffem]

I again find it odd from Crabtree's story that after the men were shot he ran out of the blind towards Volwell who had a loaded weapon and Volwell did not shoot him? And Crabtree was able to hit him with Volwell's own gun?

 

[Cryptic]

@Cryptic , great analogy on surfing. I’ve seen the exact same kinds of things at a local campground that has a big horse riding crowd. Spats about camp spots with a corral being taken by non riders turns to fist fights. I’m expecting the same at this lake based on that FnS article.

I have seen the potential for it at our local dirt bike track which is suffering from increasing over crowding.

Though the track is very loosely managed, there are unwritten rules regarding offering assistance to stranded riders, and far more importantly- riding direction and what kind of riding is done where.

Too me, the rules are common sense and build towards basic, just basic safety for everyone. Yet, more riders mean more people either unaware of the rules, or who just don't care. Add beer and the potential for trouble grows.

Ironically the people who think that a dirt bike track equates to "Mad Max- No Limits" anywhere and everywhere are not 17 years old. Rather, they are forty something year old adults. I try to get my son in and out early. Holiday afternoons were once fun, but have gotten idiotic.