A Tennessee man was arrested on Friday after he allegedly shot at on a family sledding on a hill in his neighborhood.
Benjamin Cook, 56, falsely claimed the family — two parents and four children — were on his property, but he apparently opened fire without warning, with one bullet striking “a couple of feet” from the location of the family’s 1-year-old son, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said.
The family was out sledding at about 11:30 a.m. near Chickamauga Lake north of Chattanooga when they heard several gunshots coming from a house down the hill and saw snow fly up from the ground near the toddler. They saw a man with a gun and called out to him to stop shooting, but he told them they were on his property, apparently believing he had the right to shoot at families with children without warning.
The sheriff’s office investigation determined that the family was not on Cook’s property when he shot at them.
The family packed up their belongings and went back to their own home and called police.
Deputies responded and obtained photos from another neighbor showing Cook trudging through the woods with a rifle slung over his back. He was arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated assault.
Deputies also executed a search warrant at Cook’s home and seized several rifles. Additional charges may be pending.
According to WRCB, Cook has a lengthy criminal record dating back to the 1980s and includes charges of assault, harassment, vandalism, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
