KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Anguish swept through the Lonsdale community last weekend when a 17-year-old Austin-East High School student was shot and killed. Now, a nonprofit is stepping in to help restore hope in the community.
SEEED is building a home for a family in need, hoping to also build trust with Lonsdale in the process. Knoxville leaders joined them in the construction process, hammering in nails and putting up walls to give the family a safe place to live.
The home is also meant to give a family a unique chance at homeownership. The people who get the house may not have the chance to own one otherwise.
"Little things like this, to where they can come out and be in the community and help," said Ty Bradford, a worker helping build the house. "It's a different side of the story that they don't tell too much on the news, and I believe it's a good light to shed and could potentially help people feel a little safer with the police."
After Sunday's shooting, an investigation showed that there was a large gathering of people in the area of Minnesota Avenue and Pascal Drive when a fight broke out and shots were fired. The gathering quickly dispersed prior to officers arriving.
KPD said that no suspects have been identified or charged, and the investigation is still ongoing.