Cody Wiggins shot wife and brother-in-law at wedding: police
Cody Wiggins (Williamson County Jail) and West Florida High School (YouTube:WKRN screenshot)
A 29-year-old high school teacher in Florida was arrested over the weekend for allegedly shooting his wife and brother-in-law while they were all in Tennessee for a wedding. Cody Wiggins was taken into custody Saturday evening and charged with two counts of attempted homicide, one count of domestic violence, one count of aggravated assault and one count of tampering with evidence, authorities said.
According to a Press release From the Franklin Police Department, FPD officers responded to a call about an “active shooter” at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in the 700 block of Cool Springs Boulevard on the evening of November 11th at approximately 9:30 p.m.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they located two victims, an adult male and an adult female, both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, and immediately began rendering aid. Both victims, whose names were not released by authorities, were taken to Vanderbilt Hospital for treatment.
Police said the gunman – later identified as Wiggins – opened fire on the victims with a semi-automatic pistol. However, when officers arrived at the hotel, he had already fled the scene.
“Officers immediately searched the area. The suspect was found walking in a nearby residential neighborhood. There was no further danger to the public,” authorities wrote in the statement. “The arrested suspect was the husband and brother-in-law of the two victims.”
Police said Wiggins and the two victims were all in town at the time of the shooting to attend the same wedding in the Franklin area.
The Pensacola News Journal reported that Wiggins is an English teacher at West Florida High School in the Escambia County School District. In a statement to the newspaper, Escambia County School District Superintendent Keith Leonard said Wiggins would be suspended following his arrest.
“In accordance with Florida law and the terms of the Escambia County School District contract, the employee is being suspended immediately,” Leonard reportedly wrote in the statement. “We will continue to work with law enforcement until the case reaches its climax.”
Investigators did not speculate about a possible motive for the shooting.
Wiggins was booked into the Williamson County Jail and is being held in lieu of $3.5 million bail.
WKRN, a Nashville ABC affiliate, was able to do this track down Wiggins’ wife’s grandfather. He reportedly told the station that his granddaughter was still in the hospital on Monday, but her prognosis was good and she was expected to make a full recovery after suffering a gunshot wound “near the chest.” He also reportedly said that Wiggins’ brother-in-law had made even greater progress in his recovery.
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