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HARRIMAN, Tenn. (WATE) — A 17-year-old from Rockwood is accused of fatally shooting a Lenoir City teen and “pistol whipping” another teen on Saturday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced.
On Sunday morning, more than 20 teenagers and young adults were at a party near a Mr. Clean business in Harriman, Roane County, according to District Attorney General Russell Johnson. There were guns and alcohol at the party, according to Johnson. Holden Howse Lavita, 18, from Lenoir City, was shot in the head; he was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and pronounced dead.
The Harriman police arrived at the scene around 4:30 a.m. Officers pulled over a speeding vehicle with two people who were leaving the party, the district attorney said. Police suspected one occupant, a 17-year-old whose name is being withheld, of shooting Howse and hitting another man with the gun, Johnson said.
Johnson asked the TBI to help investigate. Some aspects of the investigations are still ongoing. Officials are considering whether or not to release the name of the suspect.
The 17-year-old faces the following charges:
- Second-degree murder
- Aggravated assault
- Destruction of evidence
He is being held in the Knox County Juvenile Detention Facility.
Johnson added that a member of the Harriman City Council owns the property that was the location of the party. He also claimed that an adult family member was a witness and may have hosted the party.