KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A man is facing a voluntary manslaughter charge after a man found unresponsive in a South Knoxville parking lot Saturday morning died, Knoxville Police said.
According to police, Fernando Carerra, 51, is facing a single charge of voluntary manslaughter.
One dead after head-on crash on Western Avenue in Knoxville
The department shared that officers responded to the 200 block of W. Young High Pike Saturday morning around 9:20 a.m. At the scene, they found James Phipps, 57, unresponsive and suffering from numerous blunt force injuries in a parking lot behind a building. Phipps was taken to UT Medical Center and later pronounced dead.
A witness gave officers a description of the suspect, who was located on Chapman Highway a short time later with assistance from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Knoxville Police said the suspect, identified as Carerra, was detained for questioning.
EMA: Flooding causes landslide on Gatlinburg Bypass, road closures in Sevier County
While speaking with Carerra, Knoxville Police Homicide Unit detectives learned that Carerra and Phipps knew each other and got into a physical altercation, which the department said may have been because of a prior dispute. Carerra was then taken into custody…