Police Search for Vehicle of Interest in Murder of Soldier Found Bound and Shot in His Home

Authorities are investigating the murder of Jacob Bishop, who was found shot to death in his home on Oct. 1, 2019. (Jacob Bishop/Facebook)

Investigators in Tennessee have asked the public for help identifying a vehicle of interest in a murder investigation involving a soldier found bound and shot in his own home.

Jacob Bishop, who served as a Tennessee Army National Guardsman, was tied up and shot to death in his Lenoir City home last week, authorities said in a statement. Bishop’s mother found his body on Tuesday, bearing signs of multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities with the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office said witnesses confirmed seeing a white SUV in the area several days leading up to the murder and leaving the area on the day of the murder.

The home where Bishop’s body was found is located on Shaw Ferry Road North in Northern Loudon County.

“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,” said Sheriff Tim Guider in a statement. “Jacob Bishop was a father of two, and one of our nation’s guardians.”

The LCSO noted that Bishop had just returned from a year-long deployment in Poland.

Investigators said they believe this was a targeted killing.

“Authorities continue to remind the public that this crime is believed to be an isolated event and is not thought to be a random killing,” the LCSO said. “Although a suspected isolated crime, the suspect, or suspects, should be considered armed and dangerous given the specifics of the murder.”

Brittany Kindred, whose Facebook profile indicated being “in a relationship” with Bishop, wrote in a post: “If anyone has any information on this vehicle or anything relating to Jay, we BEG you to contact Loudon Co Sheriff’s Office. WE WILL NOT GIVE UP.”

Violent Crime in the United States

Violent crime in the United States fell by just over 3 percent between 2017 and 2018, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), which is based on crimes reported to the police.

However, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (pdf), which is based on self-reported victim surveys administered annually, the rate of violent crime in the U.S. remained essentially unchanged between 2017 and 2018.

BJS Figures

According to the NCVS, the number of U.S. residents age 12 or older who were victims of violent crime increased between 2015 and 2018.

“The increase from 2015 to 2018 in the number of violent-crime victims age 12 or older, from 2.7 million to 3.3 million, was driven by increases in the number of victims of rape or sexual assault, aggravated assault, and simple assault,” the BJS said.

Percent of U.S. residents age 12 or older who were victims of violent crime, 1993-2018. (BJS)

Further, BJS figures show that while more people have reported being victims of violent crimes in recent years, the portion of those who report having been victims of serious crimes overall has fallen. The BJS defines serious crimes are those that are generally prosecuted as felonies, including the majority of completed or attempted violent crimes with the exception of simple assault. Also classified as serious crimes are completed burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.

Between 2014 to 2018, the portion of U.S. residents age 12 or older who reported being victims of serious crimes fell from 1.89 percent to 1.68 percent. According to BJS, this drop was driven by a decline in completed burglaries.

Percent of U.S. residents age 12 or older who were victims of total serious, serious violent, and serious property crime, 1993-2018. (BJS)

FBI Stats

In 2018, an estimated 1,206,836 violent crimes occurred nationwide, FBI figures show, which represents a year-on-year decrease of 3.3 percent. Violent crimes are defined within the UCR Program as offenses that involve force or threat of force. They consist of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

When considering longer-term trends across 5- and 10-year periods, violent crime in 2018 was 4.7 percent higher than in 2014, but 9.0 percent lower than in 2009.

Violent crime figures for the period 2014-2018, based on crimes reported to the police. (FBI UCR)

Further, FBI data shows that in 2018, the estimated number of murders in the United States was 16,214, which was a 6.2 percent drop from 2017 but a 14.5 percent rise from 2014.

The FBI figures also found there were 5.0 murders per 100,000 people in the U.S. in 2018. By comparison, according to United Nations homicide statistics, the murder rate per 100,000 in Japan last year was 0.28, in Canada 1.68, and in Russia 10.82. The highest murder rate was in El Salvador (82.84), followed by Honduras (56.52), and the United States Virgin Islands (49.26).

Considering violent crime rates over a longer time span, the FBI data shows (pdf) that the rate of offenses that involve force or threat of force fell by 49 percent between 1993 and 2017.