DEKALB COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The district attorney has declined to file charges in the shooting death of Middle Tennessee State University professor Ashleigh McKinzie, ruling the case was self-defense.
The decision follows a months-long investigation into the December 4, 2025 shooting along Smithville Highway near Captain’s Point Road.
Authorities said 27-year-old Todd Stanton was driving to work around 4:49 a.m. when he encountered McKinzie in the roadway. According to the report, McKinzie stepped into his path with her hands raised before approaching his truck with a gun.
Stanton told investigators he believed his life was in danger when McKinzie aimed the weapon at him. He fired multiple shots through his windshield, striking her. McKinzie died at the scene.
Surveillance video from a nearby home appears to support Stanton’s account, showing a person stepping into the roadway and approaching the truck before collapsing.
Investigators said the two did not know each other.
The district attorney’s report also outlines concerns about McKinzie’s mental state in the days leading up to the shooting. According to interviews, she had expressed fears that an ex-boyfriend was stalking her, though investigators found no evidence to support those claims.
Her boyfriend told authorities she had become increasingly paranoid and had recently purchased surveillance equipment and a handgun.
Toxicology results showed high levels of methamphetamine and amphetamine in her system at the time of her death.
After reviewing all evidence, District Attorney Bryant Dunaway concluded Stanton’s actions were legally justified.
“The actions of Ms. McKinzie presented an imminent danger to the life of Todd Stanton,” Dunaway wrote. “His actions in the use of defensive deadly force under the circumstances were legally justified.”
The case is now closed.
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