In the quiet town of Cookeville, Tennessee, a Sunday morning was shattered by violence and tragedy at the Double Springs Community Church. On February 2, 2014, 64-year-old Tommy Ray Meadows, a resident of nearby Bloomington Springs, entered the church basement before services began, forever altering the lives of those inside.
That morning, Meadows was reportedly targeting his estranged wife, Wanda Meadows. Following a physical altercation from which she managed to escape with bruises, Tommy Meadows turned his anger towards his sister-in-law, Etta Medley. He shot Medley in the abdomen before taking his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Law enforcement, including the Putnam County Sheriff's Department SWAT team, responded to reports of an active shooter just after 9 a.m. They discovered Medley critically wounded and Meadows deceased in the church basement.
Medley was rushed to Cookeville Regional Medical Center for emergency surgery and was initially listed in critical condition. Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries a week later.
The investigation that followed confirmed that Tommy Meadows acted alone in the tragic event. His death was ruled a suicide, and consequently, no arrests were made in connection with his death. The incident was rooted in domestic strife, with Sheriff David Andrews noting that Meadows had allegedly made threats against his wife prior to the shooting. The community was left in shock, and the church canceled its services for the day as investigators processed the scene of the devastating murder-suicide.
