By Joanna Putman
Police1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee students have turned an iconic campus symbol into a memorial for a fallen deputy, WATE reported.
A group of students painted “The Rock” with a blue line flag and memorial writing in honor of fallen Knox County Deputy Tucker Blakely. Blakely died on Monday after succumbing to his injuries from a shootout with a suspect the night before.
Campus police discovered the memorial on their nightly rounds, according to the report.
“Sometimes on nightshift you see something that catches your eye … in this case, our very own UT-Knoxville students showing love for Knox County SO fallen deputy Tucker Blakely,” the department wrote on X, the platform formally known as Twitter.
