65 year-old Randy Howard, who was a member of the Outlaw Country movement in the 80s, was shot dead at his home by a bounty hunter. The singer, who worked with country legends Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr and Waylon Jennings was in trouble for failing to appear for a court appearance and A Plus Bail Bonding has sent Jackie Shell to collect the missing singer from his Lynchburg, Tennessee home.
According to NBC News the singer opened fire when the former investigator for the sheriff’s department tried to arrest him for skipping bail. Shell shot back killing the country performer and it has been reported that the bounty hunter was injured during the short exchange of gunfire. It is not known whether Shell was actually shot and if this was the nature of his alleged injury.
Howard, whose 1983 song All American Redneck became an “underground” hit, had a bench warrant for his arrest after failing to appear on charges of DUI (his fourth), possession of drug paraphanalia, being intoxicated while in possession of a firearm and for driving with a revoked license.
Allegedly when Shell, who works out of Dunlop, Tennessee, got inside of Howard’s house the singer opened fire which the bounty hunter returned. Laws in that state give the late performer, and home owners in general, the right to defend themselves in their home. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation stated, via their representative Josh DeVine, that they are investigating the incident to see whether or not the deceased was acting in self-defense.
State Attorney’s Office guidelines stipulate that bounty hunters can arrest a suspect anywhere and have the legal right to break into the supects residence if needed. It is unclear whether Shell broke into Randy’s house before the gunfight.
Howard’s friend and neighbor, Terry Dotson claimed that the singer refused to attend the hearing as he was not ready to “go back to jail.” Dotson told local NBC affiliate WSMV that he “got angry” at Howard when he decided not make the appearance at court, “on the day.”
The only other information available about the bond company is that it was not licensed, which is not a requirement in Tennessee. The shooting occurred on June 10, 2015.
Fans of the country singer, whose career started in the early 80s, have uploaded certain songs on YouTube and the Internet, most specifically his All American Redneck and his singing the 2006 song God Doesn’t Live in Nashville.