Tennessee man charged with killing 11yo daughter after first day at school
The father of an 11-year-old girl was arrested after she was reportedly shot and killed at their Hendersonville, Tennessee home when she came back from her first day at school.
On Monday, Timea Lashay Batts got off the school bus at her house and told her dad that she had been shot, her father told police, as reported by local media.
The 29-year-old father, Timothy Batts, now faces charges including reckless homicide, false reporting, possessing a firearm as a felon and tampering with evidence.
The father took her to TriStar medical center in Hendersonville, and Timea was subsequently flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where was pronounced dead at 4:27pm.
"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, in a statement. "Timea was a bright and kind girl who was well loved by her classmates and teachers."
Batts told police that his daughter had somehow been shot between walking from the bus and walking to the house. However, police said that they later determined that Timea was shot inside her home after interviewing the bus driver.
"The incident did not occur on the bus or at the bus stop," the Sumner Schools release continued. "We have no reason to believe that there is any threat to student safety on any of our school campuses due to this tragic event."
The child had just returned home from the first day of school when the shooting occurred.
Neighbors said the Batts family were good people, and characterized the children as well-mannered and sweet, according to The Tennessean. Timea was a cheerleader and a softball player, they said.
