A suburban Tennessee neighborhood was thrown into chaos last weekend when a man shot and killed two of his neighbors and assaulted several others, according to police.
The alleged motives of the suspect, 46-year-old Byron Dean Childers, are largely unknown, but witness testimony shed light on the chaos at the scene.
The Columbia Police Department says officers were dispatched to the 3000 block of Somerset Lane shortly after 3 p.m. last Saturday in response to reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they discovered three people shot.
Childers is accused of approaching John Bidle, 46, who was standing in front of a house on the block, and shooting him. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WSMV, the suspect then stood over him and shot several more times, shouting that it was “safe” because he had captured the “demon from Hell.”
According to reports, the suspect was a community resident and Bidle’s neighbor.
Stacie Wright, who reportedly lived just across the street from Bidle, opened her door to investigate the noises before Childers shot her several times, according to the affidavit, which also stated that Bidle’s wife, Amy, saw her husband lying in the street covered in blood and ran to help him.
Childers is said to have dragged her away, scraping her limbs on the asphalt before grabbing her by the neck, shoving a vape pen down her throat, punching her in the face, and telling her to “calm down.”
An ice cream truck on the street driven by Mandu Johnson, 47, was allegedly the next target of Childers’ ire, with the suspect firing several shots and hitting Johnson in the hip.
According to witnesses, Childers then punched and attempted to carjack another neighbor, off-duty Metro Nashville Police Department officer Jason Lyons, but Lyons intervened. Childers fled and was later apprehended by Columbia police officers.
Police declared John Bidle dead on the scene. Wright was transported to a nearby hospital, where she died during surgery. Amy Bidle and Johnson received treatment for their wounds.
“I lost my best friend, partner, forever person, and the father of my child,” Amy Bidle told NewsChannel 5. She also remembered Wright being “always bright, smiling, and friendly.”
Childers was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, carjacking, simple assault, and the use of a firearm in a dangerous crime. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 18.
Somerset Lane, Columbia is approximately 40 minutes south of Nashville, Tennessee.
