A Tennessee National Guardsman was found physically bound and shot multiple times last week in what local police say is not a random killing.
Spc. Jacob Bishop, a 35-year-old resident of Lenoir City, Tennessee, was found dead in his home by his mother in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, according to the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office.
Bishop had returned a few months prior to his death from a year-long deployment to Poland, according to law enforcement.
An obituary stated that Bishop was assigned to the 278th Infantry of the National Guard. However, the Tennessee Guard appears to only have a 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, which has been deploying squadrons to support NATO’s Battle Group Poland mission over the past year.
Tennessee Guard officials did not return Army Times’ request for comment on Wednesday.
Loudon County Sheriff’s investigators immediately launched a murder investigation.
Investigators released additional details of the slaying on Tuesday in a bid to find leads in the case.
Witnesses confirmed seeing a white SUV in the area several days leading up to the shooting and leaving the area on the day Bishop was killed, according to investigators.
“We continue to work tirelessly and around the clock to bring the party, or parties, responsible for the murder of a U.S. soldier to justice, and to provide the Bishop family with some form of closure,” Sheriff Tim Guider said. “Jacob Bishop was a father of two, and one of our nation’s guardians.”
“We have been pursuing multiple leads, spending countless hours around the clock, in our search for clues that we need to lead us to the party or parties responsible for the tragic killing of another," Guider added.
The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the crime is believed to be an isolated event and is not thought to be a random killing.
But those responsible for Bishop’s death “should be considered armed and dangerous given the specifics of the murder,” the statement reads.
If anyone has any information regarding the victim, his associates, or the vehicle of interest, they are encouraged to call the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office at (865) 986-4823.
The obituary for Bishop stated that he was engaged at the time of his death and is survived by his two children.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
