HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — Police in Tennessee say the father of an 11-year-old girl who was fatally shot near Nashville on Monday has been arrested.
Hendersonville police said Timothy Batts, 29, was arrested and charged with reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, false reporting, and other charges in connection with the shooting death of his daughter, Timea Lashay Batts.
Authorities originally said Timothy Batts told officers the girl got off the school bus at her home on Monday afternoon. Batts told police when she went inside the home, she told him she had been shot.
The girl’s father took her to TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center. She was then flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville where she died less than two hours later.
Police later found evidence that the shooting took place inside the home, according to The Tennessean. No other details were provided.
The child had just returned home from her first day of school at Knox Doss Middle School when the shooting occurred.
“Our entire school district is grieved to learn of the tragic loss of one of our sixth grade students, Timea Lashay Batts,” said Jeremy Johnson, a spokesperson for Sumner County Schools. “Timea was a bright and kind girl who was well loved by her classmates and teachers.”
It isn’t immediately clear if Timothy Batts has an attorney.
The investigation is ongoing.
