WINCHESTER, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 61-year-old Tennessee man has died after being struck by what police believe was a stray bullet on July 4, 2025 in Winchester.
According to police, John Cobb of Springfield was walking with a group of people through the Twin Creeks neighborhood in Winchester when he suddenly collapsed.
When crews arrived, emergency responders initially thought he had fallen, or experienced a medical emergency, but upon examination discovered a bullet had struck him.
"We're just dealing with at this point, from everything we can see, just an absolute freak, unnecessary accident," said Detective Ryan Fuller with Winchester Police Department.
An investigation into the incident is underway.
According to Fuller, police think someone may have recklessly fired a gun into the air on July Fourth and the bullet struck Cobb on the head as it descended.
"There's a belief that this round was fired up in the air at terminal velocity and then began its downward descent," said Fuller.
Police explained the tragic coincidence of the bullet's path.
"This just happened to catch this guy right on the top of the head, and, you know, six inches to the right, we're in the shoulder, six inches to the left, we're in the shoulder, six inches behind it, just landing on the asphalt," Detective Fuller said.
Residents in Winchester were shocked by the incident.
"In this area, crime scenes, things like that, that never happens," said Loretta Clark, who first heard about the emergency from her son who had seen police lights in the area of the incident.
Shelby Vickers lives in the Twin Creeks neighborhood, and the incident happened near her home.
"Someone was in the middle of the road. We watched him collapse," Vickers said.
Neighborhood residents learned the details of what happened through a police Facebook post and their community group.
"The neighborhood is a very tight-knit community so we have a Facebook group, and all of us were trying to figure it out and we realized what had happened through the police," Vickers said.
Though some in the community didn't know Cobb personally, many expressed sympathy for him and his family.
"I hate that it happened to that guy, it's really sad," Vickers said.
"My heart goes out to that family. It hurts so much to know that you're not given a tomorrow," Clark said.
Police are investigating to determine where the shot came from.
Detective Fuller is also taking this opportunity to remind folks about the dangers of shooting guns into the air.
"You have to be held accountable for where you're putting your shots and when you're firing around, up in the air, you don't know where it can land," Fuller said.
Detective Fuller indicated the crime could be classified as reckless homicide.
If you have any information about a gun being fired in Winchester on July 4th, Winchester Police Department is asking you to contact them at 931-967-3840.
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