The arrest of the Warren County District Attorney last week stunned many in both Warren and DeKalb County, but the story of the incident that led to the indictment is becoming clearer. Video footage of the incident has been released showing the moments that led up to the D.A. firing his weapon, and a family, whose home was struck by one of the bullets is now speaking out.

The shooting incident stemmed from a triple murder case in Warren County in November. On November 20, 2024, at approximately 8:50 a.m., officers with the Warren County Sheriff's Office responded to 900 Merry Oaks Road where a deceased male had been located inside a residence. Officials soon discovered two other bodies in an outbuilding on an adjacent property being used as a residence.   The deceased were identified as the homeowner, William Piechocinski, Dana Ramsden and Otis Hawks, II.  The bodies were said to have already been in a decomposition stage at the time of the discovery.

The following day, Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny, Jr., contacted the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department with information that the suspects in a murder case were in the area of Smithville. Through an investigation, it was learned that two suspects in the case, 28-year-old Caleb Diez Brookins, and 40-year-old Jessica Root, were on their way back from Nashville and coming to Bell Street Apartments in Smithville.

The area was put under surveillance by both DeKalb and Warren County officers, along with an officer with Homeland Security, and D.A. Christopher Robert Stanford of McMinnville.

According to DeKalb County Sheriff Patrick Ray, “We had a vehicle description and he (Brookins) and another woman (Rose) pulled into the parking lot. We thought that is who it was. It was hard to get a clear vision, but it was a white female and a black male in the car. They went to the end of Bell Street apartments and turned around. The sheriff’s departments from DeKalb and Warren Counties had people set up there.”

“The female driving the car (Rose) rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck operated by Chief Deputy Brian Williams, with passenger Detective Stephen Barrett, who were not hurt, but she hit a Homeland Security officer injuring his leg. They were trying to get away and ran up into a yard at a residence on Bell Street.”

It was at this time that 43-year-old District Attorney Stanford opened fire at the Rose vehicle, but failed to hit the vehicle or the suspects. At least one shot hit one of the homes on the street and entered the living area where a mother and three kids were located. The bullet hole inside the home was discovered only two feet from where a three-year-old girl was playing.

Teresa Estep said that her and her kids, including her disabled son, were in the living room of the home when the incident occurred. One stray bullet from Stanford’s gun went through a porch chair, then hit the exterior wall and entered the corner of the living room of the home.

“I thought it was fireworks at first, and then I looked out the door and saw the officer that had just been run over by the car,” Estep explained. “I didn’t realize he had been run over, and thought he had got shot. As I’m looking out, I’m panicking, and I see the D.A. running up and he’s just firing away.”

When asked if Stanford was firing at anything specific, Estep said not that she could tell. “It just seemed like he was firing randomly. We were terrified. I grabbed all the kids and we hid in the bathroom.”

“We were in there probably 20 minutes,” Estep continued. “We just wanted to make sure everything was over with. We had no idea what was going on. It ended up lasting way into the night because they were still searching for that guy [Brookins]. We were scared for that too. No one knew where he was.”

Brookins reportedly exited the vehicle and took off running on foot. DeKalb EMS responded to Bell Street, where the Homeland Security officer was transported to the hospital with a leg injury. Brookins would eventually be caught by the TBI a couple of hours later in the housing projects on Wade Street.

During a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury last week, a sealed indictment was issued against District Attorney Stanford, charging him with reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm into an occupied habitat.

“I’m kind of glad he [Stanford] was charged to be honest,” Estep said. “I feel like he put us in more danger. She [Nora] was standing right here [by the corner] just a couple of feet from where the bullet entered. It could have been very bad.”

The shooting incident was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at the request of DeKalb County D.A. Bryant C. Dunaway.