Joseph Cook, 31, is being held on a $2 million bond as investigators work to determine what led to the shooting.
WHITE BLUFF, TN — A 31-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder after authorities said his 35-year-old sister, a mother of five, was fatally shot Friday morning outside a home in Dickson County.
Joseph Cook was taken into custody without incident at the property on Joslin Branch Road, according to authorities. The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a report of a shooting at about 7:30 a.m. Nov. 6 and found the woman wounded in a driveway. She was taken to TriStar Horizon Medical Center, where she died.
The sheriff’s office said the woman and Cook had been arguing before the shooting. Investigators had not publicly disclosed what the argument was about, and authorities had not announced a motive. The case was initially described as a domestic situation, and detectives continued working to determine the events that led to the gunfire.
Capt. Jennifer Caruthers of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office said a neighbor heard a gunshot and called 911. Deputies and emergency crews responded to the home, where medics began treating the woman before she was transported to the hospital.
The woman’s five children were inside the home at the time of the shooting, according to investigators. Caruthers said authorities did not believe the children witnessed the shooting, although they were present during the disturbance. The sheriff’s office said resources would be offered to the family, and child services was expected to become involved in determining arrangements for the children.
A relative who spoke with WSMV said the woman had moved into her grandmother’s home with her five children several months earlier and that her brother also lived there. The relative said he had believed the siblings generally got along, while investigators said they were still trying to determine what led to the argument Friday morning.
The shooting prompted a large law enforcement response along Joslin Branch Road. Dickson County Emergency Management announced that part of the road would be closed because of police activity while deputies worked at the scene. Authorities later said they believed the shooting was an isolated incident and that there was no continuing threat to the public.
Cook was later charged with first-degree murder, and authorities said his bond was set at $2 million. The charge is an accusation, and Cook has not been convicted. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains ongoing and had not released a detailed account of what investigators believe prompted the confrontation.
Authorities had not publicly released the woman’s name in the sheriff’s-office information cited by local television reports. Investigators said additional information would be released as the case develops, while Cook remained in custody and the woman’s family faced the loss of a mother of five.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.