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East Knoxville road rage shooting suspect enters guilty plea

He's accused of shooting and injuring a man after getting involved in a road rage incident on Aug. 8. Knoxville Police said it happened on Rutledge Pike.

UPDATE Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017: A Knox County man accused in a road rage shooting pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and the manufacture and distribution of marijuana in criminal court Friday.

Jason Avery Brooks, 42, was arraigned in late August on charges of aggravated assault. He's accused of shooting and injuring a man after getting involved in a road rage incident on Aug. 8. Knoxville Police said it happened on Rutledge Pike.

Investigators said Brooks had two children and another adult riding in his vehicle at the time.

The victim in the shooting, Charles Dunaway, was taken to UT Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, according to Knoxville Police.

When Brooks was arrested for the aggravated assault charge, he was on bond for the manufacture of marijuana charge, according to Assistant District Attorney General Sean McDermott.

On June 27, 2016, Knox County Sheriff's Office Narcotics officers discovered an indoor marijuana grow in Brooks' basement on Rutledge Pike. Brooks had 87 marijuana plants plus about 5 pounds of harvested marijuana, the District's Attorney General office said.

According to court documents, Brooks will serve a 3 year sentence on each charge. They're to be served consecutively for an effective sentence of 6 years.

McDermott said Tuesday that Brooks is not allowed to have contact with Dunaway, the victim. Restitution will be determined at a later date because Dunaway has not had surgery to remove shrapnel from his leg yet.

UPDATE Monday, Aug. 21, 2017: Knoxville Police have arrested a suspect in a road rage shooting on Rutledge Pike earlier in August.

The Knoxville Police Department said it arrested 42-year-old Jason Avery Brooks from Mascot. Authorities charged brooks with aggravated assault and booked him at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on Friday.

Brooks was released a day later on a $10,000 bond.

Brooks is suspected of shooting and injuring a man in a road rage incident on August 8 with two children and another adult riding in his vehicle. The victim in that shooting was taken to UT Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

ORIGINAL STORY Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017: KPD is currently investigating a road-rage shooting that happened in East Knoxville.

A driver of a Honda Odyssey van drove in front of a man's pickup truck and then "brake checked" it on Rutledge Pike Tuesday morning, according to KPD's public information officer Darrell DeBusk.

The pickup truck driver has since been identified as 48-year-old Charles Dunaway.

The driver of the van has not been located. He's described as a white male with a thin build, approximately 30 to 40 years old with either a shaved or bald head.

Investigators said the driver of the van then got out and started shooting at Dunaway, who was in the truck. He was hit once and was taken to UT Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

DeBusk said the victim, Charles Dunaway, was driving alone and the suspect had two kids and another adult passenger in the van with them. He said there is no indication the two drivers knew each other.

KPD said the suspect is still on the run and they are trying to find him.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may know the person involved in this road rage and shooting is asked to call the Knoxville Police Department’s crime information line at 865-215-7212. Callers can remain anonymous.

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