Compiled by Lewis Loflin
Five people died on February 27, 2008, when Rusty "Bo" Rumley Jr., 26, of Watauga, Tennessee, went on a shooting spree at Edgemont Towers, a Bristol Tennessee Housing and Redevelopment Authority (BTHRA) complex at 100 Ash St. Known for drug-related violence and a prior suicide from its 6th floor, the site saw its deadliest incident when Rumley, distraught over a breakup, killed four before taking his own life. Tabetha "Tabby" E., a friend of the victims, wrote:
My name is Tabetha and I knew Rusty Rumley personally. I also went to school and was friends with Brandon for years. All of these people will be dearly missed. I just can’t believe he did it. I really liked Rusty as a person; he just always came off as someone who needed love, and needed the love of a good woman too. I think if he had found it, it would have saved 5 people and changed his life for the better. To 5 undeservingly short-lived lives and 2 friends, R.I.P. you will be missed.
Around 10:30 A.M., Rumley opened fire during a domestic dispute, killing Brandi Watson’s mother, boyfriend Brandon Roskos, and two neighbors. Watson, 19 or 20, escaped. Three victims were found dead at the 118-unit complex; a fourth died at Bristol Regional Medical Center. Rumley fled in his pickup, crashing near the Sullivan-Carter County line, 15 miles southwest of Bristol. After abandoning the vehicle, he ran into a wooded hillside off Rasnick Hollow Road. By 2:00 P.M., a SWAT team found him dead from a self-inflicted .45-caliber gunshot, matching casings from the scene.
Mark Roskos, Brandon’s father, said Rumley had repeatedly threatened his son, who “never took him serious” and “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” A letter to Rumley’s parents and talks with an uncle hinted at his desperation, though police released no official motive.
Sources: Bristol Police via Fox News/AP, February 28, 2008; Times News, February 28, 2008 (timesnews.net).
On November 6, 2010, the Bristol Herald Courier reported the BTHRA froze Section 8 voucher applications after November 16, 2010, due to a 245-applicant backlog and economic strain, per Executive Director Steve Scyphers. With 10 vouchers opening monthly and a year-long waitlist, the agency housed ~2,000 across Edgemont Towers, Fort Shelby, and citywide units. Scyphers noted:
We think it would be a great alternative for people to look at living in the apartments while they’re waiting… But some people just don’t want to live in high-rises. So that’s been an obstacle for us.
Crime, drugs, and violence—like this shooting—likely deterred residents, not just the high-rise design. Website: www.bthra.org. Posted January 3, 2011.
Source: Bristol Herald Courier, November 6, 2010.
