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 on Saturday evening and charged with two counts of attempted homicide, one count of domestic assault, one count of aggravated assault and one count of fabricating or tampering with evidence, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Franklin Police Department, FPD officers at about 9:30 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 11 responded to a call about an “active shooter” at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs located in the 700 block of Cool Springs Boulevard.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located two victims, an adult male and an adult female, both of whom appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately began rendering aid. Both of the victims, whose names have not been released by authorities, were transported to Vanderbilt Hospital for treatment.
Police said that the shooter — later identified as Wiggins — opened fire on the victims using a semi-automatic handgun. However, he had fled the scene by the time authorities arrived at the hotel.
“Officers immediately saturated the area. The suspect was located on foot in a nearby subdivision. There was no further danger to the public,” authorities wrote in the release. “The suspect arrested was the husband and brother-in-law of the two victims.”
Police said that Wiggins and the two victims were all in town to attend the same wedding in the Franklin area at the time of the shooting.
The Pensacola News Journal reported that Wiggins is an English teacher at West Florida High School in Escambia County School District. In a statement to the newspaper, Escambia County School District Superintendent Keith Leonard said that Wiggins would be suspended following his arrest.
“In compliance with Florida law and the Escambia County School District’s contractual provisions, the employee will be immediately suspended,” Leonard reportedly wrote in the statement. “We will continue to work with law enforcement as the case is brought to a culmination.”
Investigators have not speculated as to a possible motive for the shooting.
Wiggins was booked into Williamson County Jail and is being held in lieu of $3.5 million bond.
Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN was able to track down the grandfather of Wiggins’ wife. He reportedly told the station that his granddaughter was still in the hospital as of Monday but that her prognosis is good and she is 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 more progress in his recovery.
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