A peaceful Saturday afternoon in a Tennessee neighborhood turned into a nightmare when gunfire erupted on Somerset Lane, Columbia, leaving two people dead and several others injured. The suspected shooter, identified as 46-year-old Byron Dean Childers, has been taken into custody and is facing multiple charges.
According to police, the chaos began around 3 p.m. on Saturday when officers from the Columbia Police Department responded to calls of an active shooting. Upon arrival, authorities discovered three individuals who had been shot, sparking a manhunt and community panic.
Childers, who lived in the neighborhood, allegedly began his violent spree by approaching 46-year-old John Bidle, a neighbor standing outside his home. Witnesses say Childers shot Bidle once, then stood over him and fired multiple times, shouting disturbing remarks about having slain a “demon from Hell,” according to an affidavit obtained by WSMV.
Stacie Wright, another neighbor living across the street, was shot after she opened her door to investigate the noise. The affidavit describes a gruesome scene where Amy Bidle, John’s wife, rushed to help her husband, only to be violently assaulted by Childers. Reports say he dragged her across the pavement, shoved a vape pen down her throat, and struck her in the face.
The horror didn’t stop there. Witnesses say Childers turned his attention to an ice cream truck on the street, shooting the driver, 47-year-old Mandu Johnson, in the hip.
His rampage continued when he allegedly attempted to carjack off-duty Metro Nashville police officer Jason Lyons, another neighbor. Lyons managed to subdue the suspect before Childers fled and was later arrested by Columbia police.
John Bidle was pronounced dead at the scene, while Wright succumbed to her injuries during surgery at a nearby hospital. Amy Bidle and Mandu Johnson were treated for their injuries and are expected to recover.
In a heartbreaking statement, Amy Bidle remembered her husband as “my best friend, my partner, my forever person, the father of my child.” She also paid tribute to Wright, describing her as someone who was “always bright, smiling and friendly.”
Childers now faces a slew of serious charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, carjacking, and firearms offenses. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on June 18.
Somerset Lane, where the incident took place, lies about 40 minutes south of Nashville. Residents are left mourning and shaken, trying to make sense of the shocking violence that shattered the peace of their suburban Tennessee community.
