A Tennessee man is facing charges after he allegedly opened fire on a family that was sledding in the snow, purporting that the family was on his property.
Benjamin Cook is facing six counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Additional charges could be filed pending the outcome of the investigation.
The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to the 6300 block of Stoney River Drive on Friday following a report that a man was shooting at a family of six playing outside in the snow.
Preliminary information from the scene showed that the parents and their four children walked down the street to go sledding down a hill in their neighborhood, deputies said.
But at around 11:30 a.m., the family said they heard gunshots coming from the direction of a house down the hill near the 10400 block of Birchwood Pike. The mother said she observed snow fly up from the ground just a couple of feet from her one-year-old son.
The parents immediately looked in the direction of where the shots were coming from and yelled at a man, later identified as Cook, to stop shooting. The man claimed the family was on his property, but the family responded that they were not on his property.
The family then gathered their belongings and went home before reporting the incident to authorities.
Deputies responded to the shooter’s house and spoke to Cook. They also obtained pictures from a neighbor showing Cook in matching clothing walking through the woods carrying a black rifle slung across his back.
Cook was then arrested on aggravated assault charges.
An investigation also revealed that the family was not on Cook’s property when he began shooting.
A search warrant was executed at Cook’s home, where several rifles were found inside.
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owned by the Fox Corporation. It is the most-watched cable news network in the U.S., and as of 2023 it generates approximately 70% of its parent company's pre-tax profit. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. Fox News provides a service to 86 countries and territories, with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during advertising breaks.
Last updated from