Police say a firearm discharged while a 15-year-old was handling it inside a North Knoxville home, killing 14-year-old Landon Schenk.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 15-year-old boy was taken into custody on a juvenile petition for reckless homicide after police said a gun he was handling discharged and fatally wounded a 14-year-old at a North Knoxville home.
The shooting happened around noon Oct. 7 in the 2200 block of Juniper Drive, according to the Knoxville Police Department. Officers responding to the home found the younger teenager wounded. He was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Family and subsequent public records identified him as Landon Gregory Schenk, 14, of Seymour.
Police said several other juveniles were at the home when officers arrived. Detectives with the department’s Homicide Unit questioned those at the scene and determined that the 15-year-old had reportedly been handling the firearm when it discharged. Investigators have described the firing as unintentional, but the circumstances led authorities to seek a juvenile petition alleging reckless homicide.
The petition is an allegation and does not amount to a finding of guilt. Because the accused is a minor, police have not publicly identified him. Authorities also initially withheld Schenk’s identity under their policy for juveniles. Police have not released a detailed account of what the teenagers were doing immediately before the gun discharged or what handling of the firearm detectives believe amounted to recklessness.
The Police Department initially reported that the victim was 15, then corrected its statement to say he was 14. Schenk’s obituary lists his birth date as Feb. 8, 2012, and his death as Oct. 7. The correction did not change police’s account of the shooting or the juvenile petition filed against the other teenager.
Investigators are also trying to determine where the gun came from and how it became accessible to the teenager, police spokesperson Scott Erland told local media. Authorities have not publicly identified the owner of the firearm or said whether investigators believe any adult provided the weapon to the teens. No additional charges connected to the gun’s ownership or storage had been publicly announced.
Police said the homeowner was present at the property when the shooting happened and has been cooperating with investigators. Authorities have not accused the homeowner of wrongdoing. The department has not released the homeowner’s identity or described that person’s relationship to the teenagers.
A referral also was made to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services following the child’s death, Erland said. Such a referral does not establish that abuse or neglect occurred, and authorities have not announced findings from any separate review. The Police Department has continued to describe its homicide investigation as active.
The case centers on conduct police characterize as an unintentional discharge rather than an allegation that the 15-year-old deliberately shot Schenk. The reckless homicide petition nevertheless places the case in the juvenile justice system, where proceedings involving minors are handled differently from ordinary adult criminal prosecutions and much of the case information can remain confidential.
Police have not announced additional arrests or publicly identified another person as a suspect. Investigators continue to examine the firearm’s origin, the circumstances inside the Juniper Drive home and the events leading up to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 11, 2026.