Detroit Drug Dealer Convicted of Murder

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions against a Detroit drug dealer who shot and killed a woman in a road rage incident.  Paul Lorenzo Foutner, 33, was convicted of Second Degree Murder, Attempted Second Degree Murder, two counts of Reckless Endangerment, Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.  In a sentencing hearing today, Judge Steve Sword sentenced Foutner to serve fifty-four years in the Tennessee Department of Correction.

In a three-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys Joanie Stewart and Sean Roberts explained to the jury that on February 17, 2021, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a shooting near the intersection of Central Street and Atlantic Avenue.  During the investigation, KPD Inv. A.J. Loeffler learned that the victim swerved in front of a vehicle in which Foutner was a rear passenger.  Foutner exited the vehicle and fired into the victim’s vehicle, killing the victim and endangering the passenger in the vehicle.  Foutner’s shots also hit a Knox County special needs school bus.  Foutner fled the scene and was apprehended by officers shortly after the shooting.

“This is another example of the violence that comes along with Detroit drug traffickers coming to our community,” said DA Allen.

Foutner has three prior felony convictions for drug trafficking in Detroit, Michigan, and Carter County, Kentucky.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Veronica Fay aided in the prosecution of this case.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.