A shooting on the evening of January 11, 2026, in Smyrna, Tennessee, left 55-year-old Ben J. Lee dead. Deputies from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunfire near Lee Road and discovered Lee inside his home with a fatal gunshot wound.

Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division concluded the shooting was not random and that Lee was the intended target, classifying the death as a homicide. As of January 14, detectives described the investigation as active and ongoing; no suspects had been publicly identified and no arrests announced. The motive for the killing remained unclear.

Anyone who was in the Lee Road area that evening or who has information about Ben J. Lee’s death is asked to contact the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.