KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Deputy Tucker Blakely was shot and killed on Oct. 1, 2023, while responding to a domestic situation.
Knox County Commissioner Rhonda Lee said since his funeral, she's been thinking of how to honor him.
"I wanted to make sure we did a memorial for him and rename something after him and do everything we can so our community doesn't forget him," Lee said.
She said he and his family gave the greatest sacrifice and she doesn't want that to be forgotten. In a resolution that will be read to the commission next month, the plan is to name the bridge over Beaver Creek on Brickyard Road after Blakely and place a permanent memorial at the intersection of Emory Road and Brickyard Road. Lee said the memorial will have a picture of Blakely and a placard about him.
"He is our hometown hero and I think it is very important that we do remember him," she said.
Lee said it's an honor to do this for the Blakelys. Ty Blakely, Tucker Blakely's brother, said he and his family appreciate her work.
"Everything that my family and I have done since he was killed is trying to make sure his memory is kept alive. Tucker meant so much to us, and not just to us but to the Knox County community. He had touched so many lives. So to have Commissioner Lee do this. It's an honor," Ty Blakely said.
He said he hopes the memorial will inspire others to be more like his brother.
"Tucker never liked the attention. He never wanted to be singled out and honored for anything he did. But deep down, I know he would be appreciative to know that the community he served remembers him and will continue to remember him," he said.
Ty Blakely is 10 years older than his brother and said while he never got to tell him, he looked up to his brother.
"I would give anything to have Tucker back. When people come up to me and talk about Tucker, it just puts a smile on my face and makes my day better. So, thank you, East Tennessee from the bottom of my heart for everything," he said.
Lee will read the resolution on Nov. 12. From there she said she hopes to have the sign for the bridge and the memorial completed in a few months.