Tennessee Duck Hunter: I Saw This Man Kill My Friends

'Armed, dangerous' David Vowell wanted for double murder
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 27, 2021 7:44 AM CST

A 70-year-old Tennessee man is believed to be on the run after allegedly killing two people and should be considered "armed and dangerous," authorities say. David Vowell of Martin faces two counts of first degree murder after two duck hunters were killed in Obion County on Monday morning, reports NBC News. Chance Black, 26, and Zachery Grooms, 25, both of neighboring Weakley County, were shot at a duck blind on the north side of Reelfoot Lake, District Attorney Tommy Thomas tells WREG. He adds a third hunter, who was at the blind with the victims, identified Vowell as their killer. Jeffrey Crabtree witnessed a confrontation then sought medical attention for the victims, Thomas says, per the Jackson Sun. Vowell's vehicle was towed from the scene on Monday evening. His empty boat was found on the lake the next morning.

"We don't know if he got off the lake or if he's in the water, but we're searching the entire area," Thomas says, per the Sun. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Obion County Sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the US Marshals had failed to locate Vowell by Tuesday evening, and were set to re-evaluate their strategy on Wednesday. The case is personal for some as Black was the son of the chief deputy of the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department, per WKRN. He managed the gun department at a sporting goods store in Union City. "What has taken place is hard to process. No duck is worth the life of a man," the store's marketing manager tells WREG. The Green River Delta Water Fowl Chapter in Paducah has paid tribute to both victims. (More double homicide stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X