COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — A quiet Columbia neighborhood turned into a crime scene over the weekend after a shooting left two people dead and one injured.
Columbia police said the victims, John Bidle, 46, and Stacie Wright, 51, were killed Saturday afternoon on Somerset Lane. A third person was injured but is expected to recover, according to police.
The suspected gunman, Byron Childers, lived just a few houses down from two of the victims. He is now facing multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
Police haven't released any details on what led up to the shooting.
“I lost my best friend, my partner, my forever person, the father of my child,” said Amy Bidle, John’s wife, who was home when the shooting occurred.
Wearing her husband's old mechanic shirt, Amy called it “just a little piece of him” that reminds her “he’s still here.”
“He didn’t look like it, but once you got to know him, he was a giant teddy bear,” she said.
Amy also shared memories of neighbor Stacie Wright.
“She was always bright, smiling and friendly,” she said.
Neighbors say all individuals involved had spouses and children. Since the tragedy, the community has rallied to support the families.
“Anything we need, they are right there,” Amy said.
John worked at the GM plant in Spring Hill. Stacie was employed in human resources at Ultium.
“It’s a blow to our community. It’s a very sad and tragic scene,” said Holly DeYager, community service chairperson for UAW Local 1853.
John’s union is raising money to support both families during what DeYager called an unimaginable time.
“We want to take any kind of burden off of them while they’re processing everything,” she said.
Amy said what she’ll miss most are the little moments and shared projects with her husband.
“We actually built my ’68 Mustang together, and we worked on his truck together. We’ve done a lot of projects together,” she said.
Now, with support from loved ones, Amy said she is focused on honoring her husband’s memory.
The union is raising funds through Venmo and Cash App, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the Bidle and Wright families.
There's also a GoFundMe for the Bidle family.
This story was reported by Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Aaron Cantrell and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
- Lelan Statom
