Resident Exchanges Gunfire with Suspects during Sevier County Home Invasion

A man returned gunfire and scared off two men this morning after they allegedly forced their way into his Sevierville home.

According to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, a person called 911 at about 8:53 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, 2015 to report gunshots coming from their neighbor’s home on Hilltop Road in Sevierville and that they saw two subjects flee in a red truck. Another 911 call was received a few minutes later, this one from the residence at which the gunshots originated, reporting a home invasion with shots fired. Officers arrived on the scene at 9:08 a.m.

The resident Armando Morales was unhurt and told officers that he answered a knock at his door to find two men, one black and one white, asking if they could cut firewood. He refused and shut the door. The suspects reportedly fired shots through the door, then kicked it open and entered his home. Morales said he shot at the pair with his own gun and they retreated, but they fired another shot through the window at him as they left.

A neighbor followed the suspect’s vehicle a short distance as it fled the scene and was able to provide a detailed description to police. Pigeon Forge Police spotted a vehicle matching that description traveling on Veterans Blvd a short time later and pulled it over. The investigation by Sheriff’s Office Detectives identified the two subjects in the truck as the suspects in the home invasion.

35-year-old Russell Morrison Davis of 367 Wood St. in Newport, Tenn. and Marshel Derrard Cromuel, age 29, of 515 Freeman St. in Newport, Tenn. were transported to Sevier County Jail and charged with Attempted First Degree Murder and Aggravated Burglary.

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.