Sequatchie murder suicide: Gary Barnett, Tennessee man shoots dead his estranged wife, her daughter, and three children after wife filing an order of protection in which she stated the man owning 50-60 guns and fearing he would kill her.
‘I am afraid he will get drunk and shoot me.’ A Tennessee man went on a shooting rampage, murdering his estranged wife, her daughter, two grandchildren along with a third child after she warned a court last month he had ’50 to 60 guns’ and feared her ex husband getting drunk and killing her.
Gary Barnett, 48, was one of the three adults found inside a burning home around 9 p.m. Thursday. The Marion County residence was under the gunman’s name. In total, six individuals were found dead at the rural TN residence, including
The incident occurred in the tiny community of Sequatchie, around 30 miles west of Chattanooga, at around 8pm according to officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Ongoing domestic situation
The three deceased adults were identified as Gary Barnett, his estranged wife, Regina Barnett and the woman’s daughter, Britney Perez. Perez was visiting the home at the time of the murders.
Sheriff Bo Burnett confirmed Barnett, who had worked in the machine tool industry, was the one who shot and killed his wife, Regina, her daughter Britney and her two kids — before turning the gun on himself in a suspected murder-suicide.
‘It’s a domestic situation, evidently that has been ongoing for a pretty good while,’ Sheriff Burnett told WTVC NewsChannel 9.
‘This is one of the worst things I’ve seen. You hear about these things but this is one of the worst I’ve been involved in all my career as a law enforcement officer,’ the sheriff added.
Regina, who worked at the Seymour handle factory, had filed for a restraining order against her husband a month ago, according to court records.
‘I am afraid he will get drunk and shoot me.’
In court documents, Regina wrote: ‘My soon to be (ex) husband threatened to shoot me and he verbally abuses me every day. He also threatened to shoot my dog.
‘He also has anywhere from 50 to 60 guns in his room. I am afraid he will get drunk and shoot me.’
Another unnamed adult, who was found inside the home which had been set alight at some point during the shooting, was also injured and flown to a local hospital, Local 3 reported.
The surviving adult — who has not been identified — suffered several gunshot wounds, the outlet reported.
The three children’s names and ages have not been released.
Autopsy to determine how many died from smoke inhalation vs gunshot wounds
Sheriff Burnett confirmed two of the minors who were found dead were Regina’s grandchildren.
Deputies initially responded to the residence Thursday night for a possible shooting, whereby they found the home fully-engulfed in flames.
A neighbor, Sylvia Cooper, told WTVC that she heard glass smash and then around five gunshots.
Shortly afterwards, flames could be seen coming from the home. Fire teams from multiple communities were called to the scene to put out the fire.
At least two people died due to smoke inhalation. There was one survivor, an adult, who was rushed to a local hospital with several gunshot wounds.
A judge had approved a ‘no contact order’ against Barnett, to stay away from his wife, which was still in effect at the time of the shooting.
Family mass killings every 3.5 weeks in the U.S
Autopsy reports on all the victims and Barnett are being conducted in Nashville, authorities said.
Family mass killings have become a common tragedy across the United States. They’ve happened nearly every 3.5 weeks for the last two decades on average. In 2022 there were 17 of them, according to a database, compiled by multiple media organizations.
Ten were murder-suicides, and 14 were shootings. The database defines a mass killing as four or more people slain, not including the assailant.
Motives can remain speculative in family killings in which assailants take their own lives, but police often cite financial or relationship issues as the causes.
Family mass killings are in fact the most common type of mass killing, making up about 45% of the 415 mass shootings since 2006, according to the database. They happen twice as frequently as mass shootings in which members of the public are killed.
Welcome to a brave new America…
