Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount—a new father, fiancé and committed community volunteer—was nearing the end of his shift when he spotted a car driving erratically and decided to intervene.

Minutes later, the 26-year-old would be dead.

His tragic fate wouldn’t be discovered until just after 10 p.m. on April 22, 2003 when fellow Fulton County Police Officer Reginald McCain stumbled on an unsettling scene while patrolling his beat in Georgia’s South Fulton County.

“I’ll never forget what I saw that night and what I discovered when I approached that car,” McCain recalled in the season four premiere of Oxygen’s The Real Murders of Atlanta. “I saw a police car with the blue lights on in the distance. This car’s off the roadway into a brushy area near some railroad tracks.”

After discovering the car belonged to Blount—his adjacet beat partner and friend—McCain walked up to the vehicle and found the windows had been shot out and discovered Blount slumped over in the vehicle with his gun still clutched in his hand. The officer had been shot multiple times in the body and head.

In the days that would follow, investigators set out to recreate Blount’s final movements, ultimately leading them to a suspect with no prior criminal record who deployed an unconventional defense. 

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“I just broke down and I started crying,” former Fulton County Police homicide detective Glenn Kalish remembered of hearing the news. “Not just for Aaron and the rest of the Fulton County Police Department, but I felt a lot of personal pressure on me being assigned this case and the weight of the case.”

Investigators Piece Together Final Moments of Aaron Blount’s Life

As detectives began to their investigation, they learned that there had been multiple 911 calls that night about a silver vehicle driving erratically not far from the murder scene.

They were also surprised to discover a handgun laying on the ground in the parking lot of a gas station, just across the road from where Blount’s vehicle had come to rest. 

They came to believe that Blount had been following a car down the roadway when the driver hopped out at the gas station and waited for Blount to come around the corner, then fired directly into his vehicle, before setting the weapon down and fleeing the scene.

Injured, Blount likely took his foot off the brake, causing the patrol car to roll across Roosevelt Highway into the grassy area by the train tracks.

An eyewitness who had been driving by the gas station also came forward to share what he knew about the fatal shooting.

“We see the police got his lights on at the gas station,” the witness told police. “And as I was approaching the light, I heard a gunshot. And I saw a guy standing…at point blank range shooting through the window.”

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According to his account, the shooter then turned and calmly walked away before getting into a silver Ford Focus.

He described the shooter as a larger Black male, around 6’2” tall and around 250 pounds or more.

Though the medical examiner was able to connect the weapon found at the scene to the bullets in Blount’s patrol car and body, a second gun had been used to deliver the shots to his head, leading investigators to believe the cold-blooded killer had used two separate weapons.

Kenneth G. Reese Emerges As Suspect in Aaron Blount’s Death

Investigators caught another break in the case when they learned the weapon that had been recovered at the scene was registered to Kenneth Reese.

Though authorities initially believed the weapon was linked to a fire department captain and arson investigator with a stellar reputation—sending shockwaves through the law enforcement community—they learned after speaking with Kenneth that he had a younger nephew with the same name, who often went by the nickname “Little Kenny.”

Little Kenny had no criminal record, but did own at least one firearm. Even more telling, investigators were able to link him to a silver Ford Focus rental car. Yet, according to Little Kenny’s family, he had gone to Florida and now appeared to be on the run.

“He came from a good family,” former homicide detective Melvin Dean said. “A real solid family in the community.”

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Little Kenny’s grandmother was the first Black woman to own a gospel television network and his father was a professional wrestler turned celebrated minister. But when Little Kenny lost his father just one year before Blount’s death, those close to him say his life began to fall apart.

“His father’s death was such an impact on him,” a family spokesperson shared. “He was grieving so bad that he could not handle coming to his father’s funeral.” 

According to the spokesperson, Little Kenny started carrying a gun and began showing signs of paranoia, believing that someone may be following him.

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Blount’s family—including Manns and his now adult-son A.J.—continue to keep his memory alive.

“I want the people in Atlanta to remember that he protected his community. He protected his family,” Manns said. “He was just…a really good guy, a great dad, a great partner, a great friend, and I think they would be proud and should continue to be proud of him.”

NASCAR O’Reilly Series qualifying results from EchoPark Speedway

Later today, NASCAR O’Reilly Series drivers take the green flag. Now, teams are rolling to the track for qualifying at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.

View the Atlanta starting lineup for the NASCAR O’Reilly Series below.

Atlanta/Lime Rock Menu
ARCA: Race
Truck: Prac/Qual
O’Reilly: Qual

Atlanta/Lime Rock TV Schedule

The fields makes one lap in the opening round of qualifying. The top 10 from round one advance into round 2 and make another run for the pole position.

Atlanta Qualifying Results (Top 10 – Round 1) : 1. Carson Kvapil 31.987 2. Sam Mayer 32.035 3. Sammy Smith 32.117 4. Jesse Love 32.128 5. William Sawalich 32.171 6. Taylor Gray 32.218 7. Sheldon Creed 32.224 8. Rajah Caruth 32.238 9. Patrick Staropoli 32.224 10. Brent Crews 32.279

Sam Mayer will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 31.994 seconds in the second round of qualifying.

EchoPark Speedway
Starting Lineup
July 11, 2026
NASCAR O’Reilly Series

Pos | Driver

1. Sam Mayer
31.994

2. Carson Kvapil
31.978

3. Jesse Love
32.020

4. William Sawalich
32.106

5. Sammy Smith
32.119

6. Sheldon Creed
32.136

7. Brent Crews
32.155

8. Rajah Caruth
32.194

9. Taylor Gray
32.200

10. Patrick Staropoli
32.302

— Failed to advance into Round 2 —

11. Austin Hill
32.286

12. Brandon Jones
32.315

13. Corey Day
32.327

14. Jeremy Clements
32.335

15. Jake Finch
32.336

16. Justin Allgaier
32.379

17. Anthony Alfredo
32.393

18. Nick Sanchez
32.400

19. Ryan Sieg
32.429

20. Kyle Sieg
32.459

21. Jeb Burton
32.545

22. Parker Retzlaff
32.547

23. Dean Thompson
32.573

24. Leland Honeyman Jr
32.583

25. Harrison Burton
32.619

26. Garrett Smithley
32.709

27. Ryan Ellis
32.778

28. Mason Maggio
32.783

29. Nick Leitz
32.857

30. Brennan Poole
32.862

31. Glen Reen
32.884

32. Lavar Scott
32.942

33. Joey Gase
32.946

34. Josh Bilicki
33.035

35. Logan Bearden
33.619

36. Carson Ware
36.110

37. Blaine Perkins
46.808

38. Jordan Anderson
No Time

Links

Atlanta Motor Speedway | Lime Rock Park | NASCAR

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Atlanta-based mentoring program is making a stop in Jacksonville this weekend — and its leader says the city could be next on the map.

Next Level Boys Academy will set up at Clanzel T. Brown Park in the Moncrief area Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. as part of the “Save Our Sons Tour.” The free, family-friendly event runs alongside Duval Day, the annual block party hosted by Jacksonville-born comedian Lil Duval, which follows from 3 to 8 p.m.

From a Little League Sideline to a National Movement

Gary Davis, CEO and Executive Director of Next Level Boys Academy, says it all started on a baseball field. While coaching little league in 2009, he decided mentoring had to go deeper than sports.

“I built this organization from that group of young men that I coached back in 2009,” Davis said.

What began with 11 young men has grown to serve between 200 and 300 youth each year. The program has drawn national media attention and support from high-profile names, including rappers T.I. and Killer Mike.

What the Program Does

Next Level Boys Academy mentors teens on Saturdays, working with youth ages 5 to 10. It also runs an alternative-to-incarceration program for first-time offenders ages 12 to 25.

Davis says the impact goes beyond mentorship.

“On average we’ve probably diverted about 100 years of prison time a week,” he said.

Former NFL player Will Sweet is also part of the Jacksonville visit. Sweet leads the entrepreneurship and professional development component of the academy’s Atlanta program.

A Vision for Duval County

Davis, a former educator and social worker, says this weekend is about more than one event. He wants Jacksonville’s leaders to take notice.

“The ultimate reason why we are coming to Jacksonville this weekend is because we want the city officials and local government to see there is an innovative mentoring organization that is working in Atlanta — and we have people that are in place there that could start this and move it,” Davis said. “There is no need in re-inventing the wheel.”

What You Need to Know

The Next Level Boys Academy and Empowerment Center program is free and open to families. Here are the details:

• What: Next Level Boys Academy — Save Our Sons Tour

• Where: Clanzel T. Brown Park

• When: Saturday, noon to 1 p.m.

• Duval Day: 3 to 8 p.m. at the same location