MANCHESTER, Tenn. – Having just stepped out of a meeting with lawyers to discuss a divorce, police say a woman fired seven shots from .40 caliber pistol, striking her husband as they stood outside the offices of Rogers, Duncan and North shortly before 1 p.m Wednesday.
Brenda Bartee allegedly shot her husband, Dr. Harry Bartee, who was then airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. Police reportedly converged on the scene quickly.
Toliver’s Pawn and Jewelry Shop employee Bryson Simerly was one of the first people on the scene and administered first aid to Harry Bartee: “I was in the shop at [Toliver’s] and I heard gunshots. It was quite evident. We ran outside and seen a guy laying down and a woman pointing a gun. We yelled at her a couple of times. There were a couple of sheriff’s deputies from Bedford County and they came running up and defused the situation.”
Brenda Bartee will be charged with attempted murder. Her husband’s condition was not disclosed.
In one of the least insightful statements ever issued, Manchester Police Department Assistant Chief Adam Floied said “It appears to have been a serious domestic issue.”
Photo: Josh Peterson