Men killed at Reelfoot Lake honored on Thursday

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. – Two men were honored Thursday with a monument at a West Tennessee refuge.

In January of 2021, two friends named Zack Grooms and Chance Black were duck hunting in a blind at Reelfoot Lake.

According to investigators, a man named David Vowell approached their blind and killed them. 

Thursday, the two men were honored with a new memorial commemorating the lives of the two outdoorsmen. Friends and family gathered to watch the unveiling of the new memorial.

“It means a whole lot just to know that they’re there if we need them and just seeing the turnout is just great,” said Cody Black, Chance Black’s brother.

The new memorial, located at the Maness-Swamp Refuge off of Toole Pate Levee Road, reads:

“In memory of Chance Black and Zack Grooms, avid duck hunters and lovers of the outdoors.”

The quote perfectly encapsulated the identity of the two men. 

“Having something to commemorate his life in an area like this, it couldn’t be a more perfect fit,” Cody Black said.

State Rep. Tandy Darby says he knew the Grooms and Black families for a long time and watched them grow up, with Grooms even serving as a ring bearer in his wedding. 

Darby says he, with the leadership of Mike Bell from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, created a bill to have the memorial placed at the Maness Swamp Refuge.

He says they chose this location due to the amount of traffic it gets from hunters and outdoorsmen just like Grooms and Black.

“No telling how many during duck season come down here and use this turn around to have this marker here. I thought that was the right place to put it,” Darby said.

Cody Black created a foundation in his brother and Zack Grooms’ honor called “Hunting for a Lifetime.” 

This foundation aims at giving away lifetime hunting licenses for kids ages nine to 15.

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