A 35-year-old mother of five is dead after being shot on Joslin Branch Road in White Bluff, and her younger brother is now facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with her death. Dickson County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a possible shooting around 7:30 a.m. on Friday and found the woman suffering from a gunshot wound in a driveway.
She was taken to TriStar Horizon Medical Center, where she later died, according to WZTV. Deputies were sent to the 500 block of Joslin Branch Road at approximately 7:30 a.m. after the report came in, according to WKRN. The outlet reported she was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Her brother, 31-year-old Joseph Cook, was taken into custody at the scene without incident. A sheriff's office spokesperson told WSMV, “he admitted to shooting his sister.”
Charges and Bond Follow Initial Detention
In the hours immediately after the shooting, the picture of what charges Cook might face was still unclear. WSMV's earlier report noted that he was detained, but that details on an official arrest or any charges were not immediately available. By the next day, WZTV's report said Cook had been charged with first-degree murder and had his bond set at $2 million.
The woman's children were inside the home during the shooting, though they did not witness it, per WZTV's reporting. The sheriff's office said it believed the shooting was an isolated incident between the victim and suspect, telling WKRN there was no active threat to the community as a result.
Road Closed Indefinitely as Investigation Continues
Dickson County Emergency Management announced the closure of Joslin Branch Road due to the heavy police presence at the scene. Officials said the area between 500 and 700 Joslin Branch Road would be closed indefinitely while the investigation continues, the same WKRN report noted. The investigation remains ongoing.
The shooting comes nearly two years after a separate, unrelated shooting also in White Bluff. A woman was shot at a home on Violet Mist Drive around 5 a.m. and taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with critical injuries, according to a report carried by Yahoo News. In that case, officials said the man suspected of shooting the woman was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Cheatham County.
