Randy Howard was born on May 9th, 1950 in Macon, Georgia. He was a semi-famous country singer known by some for singing ‘Outlaw Country’. Randy’s most famous songs were “I Don’t Know” and “All American Redneck”. Howard lived in Lynchburg, TN for the last 25 years of his life in a cabin, out in the country. In 2015, he was facing charges on his fourth DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a gun while intoxicated, and driving with a revoked license. He had failed to appear at a recent court hearing, which resulted in a bench warrant. A producer that worked closely with Randy said that Howard “was the epitome of outlaw country. He only not sang that life, but he lived that life. “ A friend of Randy’s, Terry Dotson (or Dodson according to different sources), stated that Howard told him that he, “Wasn’t going back to jail”. Apparently, Randy Howard had been in jail for “a pretty good while” before.
It should be noted that Randy was not in the best health during this period of his life either, having also broken his leg in jail in the past.
On June 9th of 2015, with Howard’s warrant set in place, Jackie Shell, a Bail Bondsman Bounty Hunter, went to Randy Howard’s home to serve him a warrant for his arrest. When Shell entered in Howard’s home he came through the back door, and Randy shot at Shell, injuring him. Shell shot back six times at Howard, hitting him in the chest. Randy allegedly died of his injuries in his house, though one source states that not only did Randy shoot first because he thought that there were intruders in his home; he was taken to Vanderbilt hospital and died from his injuries five hours later. Randy’s autopsy showed that he was also shot in the liver, his blood alcohol was below the limit, and his death was concluded as a homicide.
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| Jackie Shell, who got surgery for his injuries |
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation went on to look at the case, later on giving it over to the District Attorney General’s office. In the state of Tennessee, a bondsman can arrest a person at their home, and even enter the domicile if the person refuses to open the door. Bondsmen don’t need to be licensed, though they need to take an 8 hour class every year, which can vary drastically depending on the teacher. County sheriffs are also supposed to do criminal backgrounds on bounty hunters to make sure that they aren’t felons.
Terry Dotson had offered to take Howard since his leg was broken, to the court date, though he refused. Terry felt like going to that court date would have saved Randy’s life. Another one of Randy’s neighbors, Clayton Walker, felt like Jackie Shell should have handled the situation better, and hunted Howard down like an animal.
Randy’s neighbors left flowers near his door and a sign that read, “Gone but not forgotten”.
[SOURCES]
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/randy-howards-death-at-hands-of-bounty-hunter-ruled-a-homicide/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/16/randy-howard-country-singer-death-bounty-hunter-laws
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147731795/randy-howard
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