The family wasn’t harming anyone. All they were doing was playing in the snow. The hill in southeastern Tennessee wasn’t even on Benjamin Cook’s property. He shot at them anyway. No warning, not even an angry yell. He simply went sniping for sled riders.
Family avoids death
The unidentified family wasn’t expecting a romp in the snow to nearly cost them their lives. On Friday, January 10, deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office were sent out to the 6300 block of Stoney River Drive.
They were alerted to an armed individual firing at the unsuspecting group.
The police report notes that the parents “took their four children to go sledding down a hill in their neighborhood.”

There wasn’t a lot of snow but the slope is on a perfect incline, without any dangerous obstacles. It’s perfect for a family with kids to enjoy on a snowy day.
The last thing they were expecting around 11:30 a.m. was an ambush. While the family were sledding, “they heard several gunshots coming from a house down the hill near the 10400 block of Birchwood Pike.”
The mother “saw snow fly up from the ground a few feet away from her 1-year-old son.” A grumpy old man nearly took out the toddler.
No trespassing
It isn’t actually his property but he could see them and it bothered him. Authorities relate that “the parents immediately looked in the direction of the shots and yelled at a man to stop shooting.” At least he de-escalated to negotiation.
“The man allegedly claimed they were on his property, but the family told him they weren’t.”
Since they weren’t dying to play in the snow, “the parents gathered their kids and their belongings, returned to their home, and called law enforcement.”

After taking a statement from the family, deputies returned to the scene of the crime. They had no difficulty locating and questioning Benjamin Cook. Apparently, his neighbor doesn’t like him, either.
Deputies “also obtained pictures from a neighbor showing Cook wearing matching clothing, walking through the woods, and carrying a black rifle slung across his back.” That was more than enough probable cause to arrest Cook on six counts of aggravated assault.
After getting a warrant, they found several rifles in his home, which is typical in Tennessee. Police also confirmed that “the family was not on Cook’s property when the incident occurred.“