Knoxville Police Department officers arrested 32-year-old Kevin Garner of Mascot, Tennessee after he reportedly fired a handgun inside of a BP gas station on Saturday evening.
At just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 26, 2022, KPD officer Tim Walker was flagged down by a woman walking out of the BP at 7401 Strawberry Plains Pike. The woman said that a man was inside of the gas station with a gun. Officer Walker quickly entered the building, ordered the man to drop the weapon and took him into custody.
Further investigation at the scene revealed that the following occurred. The man, identified as Kevin Garner, came into the gas station and demanded to see an employee. Garner was asked to leave and went outside, but refused to leave the property. He eventually came back inside the gas station, pulled the gun and fired a round into the ceiling. There were four people inside of the building when the incident occurred, and Garner was apprehended by Officer Walker shortly after he fired the first round. Fortunately, nobody was injured during the incident.
Garner was charged with four counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and multiple weapon charges. Additionally, he had outstanding warrants out of Knox County for aggravated burglary, aggravated domestic assault and interference with emergency calls. A records check also revealed that Garner had a prior felony conviction.