A Man is Charged with Murder Following a Fatal Shooting at a Cocke County Home
WVLT

A Man is Charged with Murder Following a Fatal Shooting at a Cocke County Home

A man is charged with murder after a deadly shooting in Cocke County.

The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office says deputies went to a home off of Edgefield Way in Newport Sunday and when they arrived they found 35-year-old Daniel Messer dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Detectives spoke to 40-year-old Eric Banks who said he and Messer were talking about guns when he got a .44 magnum Ruger and went to Messer’s bedroom. Banks said he pulled the hammer back, and as he was trying to release it slowly while aiming it at Messer, the gun fired and struck Messer in the face, killing him.

Banks also told investigators he had been drinking alcohol before the incident.