Cops: Dad who killed girl, 11, on first day of school said she scared him
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- A suburban Nashville man accused of shooting his 11-year-old daughter after she arrived home from her first day of middle school allegedly told police she startled him, reports CBS affiliate WTVF.
According to an affidavit, 29-year-old Timothy Batts first told police that his daughter, Timea, woke him up and said she had been shot after getting off the bus. Police obtained a search warrant and found evidence that he had fired his gun inside the house.
Batts later went to the police department to admit he was lying, according to investigators.
Police said he admitted that he accidentally shot his daughter after being awoken to a sound in the home. He reportedly said he grabbed the gun from under the dresser and fired a shot when she yelled and scared him.
Batts then removed the gun from the scene before he dropped the girl at an area hospital. He stayed there until police arrived. He allegedly said the weapon is now in Nashville.
The child later died at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at in Nashville. She was a student at Knox Doss Middle School and had just attended her first day of school earlier that day.
Batts has been charged with reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, false reporting and felon in possession of a firearm. He was held on a $1 million bond.