Current:Home > BackTennessee Army vet charged with murder, assault in attacks on 2 unhoused men-InfoLens
Tennessee Army vet charged with murder, assault in attacks on 2 unhoused men
View Date:2024-12-23 15:40:57
A Tennessee Army veteran is being charged with first-degree murder and assault in what authorities say were two separate attacks on men experiencing homelessness in less than a week.
The most recent attack happened just before 3 a.m. on May 31 when police responding to 911 calls found a man suffering from gunshot wounds outside a Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Memphis. The man, identified as Shaun Rhea, died at a hospital, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
The first attack happened just six days before Rhea's killing at the same hotel on May 25. A man told police that he was inside a portable bathroom outside the hotel where he sleeps each day when an assailant began grabbing at him, put a knife to his face and cut him behind his left ear as he tried to flee. The attacker also cut him on his right thumb.
Here's what we know about the crimes and the veteran who was charged with them on Tuesday.
Shaun Rhea killing
A security guard told police he saw a man who had a knife pepper-spraying Rhea the day of the fatal shooting. The security guard recorded the attack on his phone and told the attacker what he was doing in hopes that he would leave, court records say.
The attacker ran to an apartment, allowing Rhea to clean the spray off his face. But soon after that, the attacker returned with a rifle and shot Rhea multiple times, court records say.
Investigators looked at mailboxes at the apartment building where the attacker was last seen and found the name Karl Loucks. The security guard looked at a six-person lineup and identified Loucks as the man who shot Rhea.
Loucks, 41, was arrested the same day.
While in court on Tuesday, Memphis police Sgt. Jeremy Cline said Loucks was interviewed after his arrest and told investigators he was acting in self-defense, according to WTVC-TV.
“Shaun Rhea was unarmed at the time of the assault,” court records say.
Loucks' lawyer, Blake Ballin, declined to comment on the case when reached by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
First attack on an unhoused person
In the May 25 attack on an unhoused man, the assailant also fled to an apartment complex.
The victim got stitches at a local hospital. He later told police that he did not know his attacker.
After Loucks' arrest in Rhea's killing, the May 25 victim identified Loucks as being the man who attacked him.
Who is Karl Loucks?
Loucks is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the war in Afghanistan, Army spokesman Bryce Dubee told WTVC-TV. He was a healthcare specialist in the Army from September 2007 to August 2013 and served in Afghanistan from March 2009 to March 2010, the outlet reported.
Loucks left the Army with the rank of private first class and was honorably discharged due to post-traumatic stress disorder, his lawyer told the outlet.
Ballin, Loucks' lawyer, told WTVC that he is trying to schedule a psychological evaluation to see if Loucks' mental health had anything to do with the shooting.
“If somebody in Mr. Loucks' situation, with his experience in the past, his experience in these events, felt reasonably that he was in fear for his life or his physical safety, then he may have been justified in acting the way he did,” Loucks’ lawyer told the outlet.
Shelby County Judge Bill Anderson, who is overseeing the case, said Loucks' history with the Army may have played a role in what happened.
“Some cases don't make any sense, any logical sense,” Anderson said. “This is one of them.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].
veryGood! (5798)
Related
- Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting their first child together
- SCOTUS to hear arguments about mifepristone. The impact could go far beyond abortion, experts say
- Maple syrup from New Jersey: You got a problem with that?
- Spoilers! How that 'Frozen Empire' ending, post-credits scene tease 'Ghostbusters' future
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- What do we know about Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis so far? Doctors share insights
- Powerball jackpot grows to $800 million after no winner in Saturday night's drawing
- 1886 shipwreck found in Lake Michigan by explorers using newspaper clippings as clues: Bad things happen in threes
- Florida Man Arrested for Cold Case Double Murder Almost 50 Years Later
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Jump Start
Ranking
- Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- Is the war on drugs back on? | The Excerpt podcast
- Harry Potter's Jessie Cave Reacts to Miriam Margolyes' Controversial Fanbase Comments
- Blizzard brewing in Northern Plains, Upper Midwest as spring storm targets region
- Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
- 2 Holland America crew members die during incident on cruise ship
- 2 Holland America crew members die during incident on cruise ship
- Democratic primary race for Cook County State’s Attorney remains too early to call
Recommendation
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
-
Linda Bean, an entrepreneur, GOP activist and granddaughter of outdoor retailer LL Bean, has died
-
1 dead and 5 injured, including a police officer, after shooting near Indianapolis bar
-
How to make tofu (that doesn't suck): Recipes and tips for frying, baking, cooking
-
Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
-
Stock market today: Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street closes near record finish
-
Will anybody beat South Carolina? It sure doesn't look like it as Gamecocks march on
-
Must-Have Items from Amazon's Big Sale That Will Make It Look like a Professional Organized Your Closet