KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A shooting suspect faces new charges after authorities said he fired several gunshots into a crowd at Mead's Quarry on Sunday.
Records show 20-year-old Joseph Wools is in jail, waiting for bond to be set. He's facing multiple charges including second-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault, public intoxication and evading arrest.
The Knoxville Police Department said no one was hit by gunfire and no injuries were reported.
According to a police report, officers responded to the scene where witnesses said the suspect had been arguing with people, went to his car to grab a handgun and began firing, first at one man and then into a crowd of 10 to 15 people.
“It was busy where he was shooting, and I’m actually surprised no one was shot,” said Chelsea Smith, a Clarksville resident.
Chelsea and Roman Smith brought their family to the quarry while visiting for a basketball championship. They were in the parking lot headed toward the water when shots rang out.
“I was just mad because my little sisters had to experience that and it’s probably going to scar them for a long time,” said Peyton Smith, 15.
“We have two daughters that are nine and five,” Chelsea also said. “They were terrified. Panicking, crying.”
Jacob Teffeteller works as a safety ambassador at the quarry. Teffeteller said he got everyone to safety, ushering visitors into a nearby shipping container while another coworker helped make sure people stayed safe.
“There was several families just in that immediate vicinity. There was probably 15 to 20 people around the bathrooms at that time. I mean, everything: kids, teenagers, older people, just a very broad spectrum of people there,” Teffeteller said. “There was a lot of shock. There was a couple of families in the shipping container. The kids were really, really upset. A lot of mad parents, which is to be expected. There was a lot of people that just didn't really know what to do.”
Amber Parker is the CEO of Ijams Nature Center, which oversees the quarry. Parker said safety ambassadors first were hired last summer as visitors to Meads Quarry are increasing.
“They really just help everybody have a good time at Ijams. They are not security staff. They do not carry weapons or anything like that. They're just good people,” Parker said about the ambassadors, who are trained in de-escalation techniques. “I was really emotional about it, actually, because these are people that should never have to deal with gunfire ever. They're good people who are just trying to help everybody have a good and safe time. But they responded incredibly well and were very heroic in doing it.”
For Roman Smith, the ambassadors’ actions were “impressive.”
“I was amazed,” he said. “The two workers did a great job.”
When it comes to the quarry, Parker said it used to be a “dumping ground.”
“It was kind of the Wild West. It was where everybody just came and just did what they wanted to do,” Parker said, explaining the crime that used to happen in the area that has since dissipated. “In the seven years that I've been here, the activities at the quarry and the behavior at the quarry has gotten progressively better, which is what we want. It's that slow pressure to make sure that, you know, we don't want the bad stuff happening. We only want the good things. So we're going to do a lot of really positive changes to make that happen. We're seeing it, but obviously we just have a ways to go … This type of incident, though — this is a new one for us.”
KPD said the suspect, Joseph Wools, was “extremely intoxicated when officers arrived.” Parker said bringing outside alcohol to the quarry and drinking outside of the beer garden is not allowed.
“We regulate as much as possible, but people are going to people sometimes and do what they want to do,” Parker said. “And so we just have to kind of keep an eye on it constantly.”
Now, Parker said Ijams is considering taking more safety measures.
“We may talk with KPD, potentially we could have more drive-throughs,” Parker said. “We will have probably more of our ambassadors down there as well, and we will do the very best job that we can.”
Parker said in total, Ijams Nature Center sees about 620,000 visitors every year across the entire 318 acres, with about half of those people going to the quarry. She said with more people visiting, continued safety measures are a priority.
Court records show the 20-year-old suspect was arrested in 2022 for two counts of possession of a handgun while under the influence, as well as public intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon involved. Records show he was sentenced and placed on judicial diversion.