SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Sevierville police are searching for a killer tonight.

Police officers found 30 year old James Jason Hicks dead in the carport of a home on Chilhowee Drive in Sevierville Monday evening, dead of a gunshot to the head.

Police have a person of interest.

They won't say who it is or if it is connected to a child custody case the victim was involved in.

But it's certainly a tragic situation anytime someone is killed and found by a parent.

Chilhowee Drive is normally a quiet street but it was anything but that Monday around 5 pm at the home of 30 year old James Jason Hicks who was found dead in the carport of his home by his mother.

"She was screaming, hollering, was calling 911 and that's when all the emergency vehicles showed up," says neighbor Mickey Zeigler.

Emergency crews and police detectives arrived combing the area for clues as to what happened.
Their death investigation has changed to a murder investigation.

"The coroner has now determined it was a gunshot wound to the head that caused the death so we don't suspect foul play anymore, we know," says Sevierville Public Information Officer Jim Deanda.

Zeigler, a contractor, says he wonders how long his neighbor and fellow contractor with Hicks Construction had been there in his carport.

Zeigler says, "When I came out to leave yesterday morning his truck was running."

But Zeigler says he saw no sign of Hicks.

Meanwhile police are zeroing in on a potential killer.

"But yeah, we do have at least one person that's very interesting to Detective Hinson." says Deanda.

Police are not saying if the shooting has anything to do with the victim's longstanding custody battle involving his three young children.

Zeigler says his neighbor is typically a quiet guy.

"As far as any kind of trouble or anything like that, you never heard anything. It was just quiet up there all the time," says Zeigler.

That is until now, but Zeigler hopes justice will be served.

"To be honest with you, I just hope they find out who done it and I hope they get them," says Zeigler.

We checked Hicks' record which shows he had been charged with two counts of violating an order of protection in November 2007.

Zeigler says police told him he and his neighbors should not be concerned for their safety.

But Zeigler says when something like this happens so close, you can't help but be concerned.

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SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Sevierville Police are investigating the death of a 30-year-old man who, according to autopsy results, was shot in the head, police say.

James Hicks, 30, was found shot to death around 5 p.m. Monday in the carport of a home at 713 Chilhowee Drive, where is mother discovered his body, police say.

Police say they're looking for a person or persons of interest for questioning in the case, but they have not released the identities of any potential suspects.