The Clinton man who allegedly shot at two people before one of them, his son, shot back, has been charged with attempted murder, according to court records.
The Anderson County Grand Jury indicted Terry Lee Crawford, 62, on two counts of attempted second-degree murder on June 4. Those charges allege that Crawford tried to kill Joshua Crawford and Ashlee Crawford. The alleged shooting was reported at a home adjacent to Crawford’s on Lee Lane in Clinton on December 26.
Crawford was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. The aggravated assault charges allege that Crawford caused Joshua and Ashlee Crawford to fear imminent bodily injury because of the gun, and the reckless endangerment charges allege that Terry Crawford engaged in reckless conduct that placed Joshua and Ashlee Crawford in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury through the use of a deadly weapon.
Crawford faces two other charges as well: being a convicted felon who possessed a handgun and vandalism between $1,000 and $2,500. The vandalism charge alleges that Crawford damaged the exterior of Joshua and Ashlee Crawford’s home, causing more than $1,000 in damage.
The shooting was reported at about 4:42 p.m. Wednesday, December 26, near the intersection of Lee Lane and State Route 61, which connects Oak Ridge and Clinton. Lee Lane is near a gas station and convenience store and the entrance to the Mariner Point residential subdivision.
An affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton said Crawford shot at Joshua and Ashlee Crawford before Joshua Crawford shot back.
At the time of the shooting, according to the affidavit, Joshua and Ashlee Crawford were in their house on Lee Lane when they heard gun shots, which sounded very close to their home.
After retrieving his firearm, Joshua Crawford opened a garage door to see what was happening outside, said the affidavit, filed by Clinton Police Department Detective Sergeant Danielle K. Alexander.
Both Joshua and Ashlee Crawford told Alexander they saw Terry Crawford, dressed in all black, walking toward his house, which is next to his son’s.
Joshua Crawford walked up to the lot where Terry Crawford came from with his firearm tucked into the back of his pants, the affidavit said.
Joshua and Ashlee Crawford then saw Terry Crawford come from the side of his home holding a gun, according to the affidavit.
“Terry Crawford then aimed his gun at Josh Crawford,†the affidavit said. “Ashlee Crawford started to scream when she saw Terry Crawford, and she states Terry Crawford fired several shots at her and then shot several times at Joshua Crawford in the lot next to their house.â€
Joshua Crawford told police he returned fire after Terry Crawford started shooting at him, according to the affidavit.
Joshua Crawford said Terry Crawford fell to the ground and crawled toward his front door. Joshua Crawford was able to get up and run to his house, the affidavit said.
When the Clinton Police Department arrived, officers found Terry Crawford on the ground in front of his home. He was bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound, the Clinton Police Department said. He was reportedly shot in the buttocks, and he was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
Investigators believe that a feud between Crawford and his son led to the shooting, and Terry Crawford allegedly came on to Joshua’s property with a loaded gun and fired several shots toward the house, WYSH Radio in Clinton reported in December.
“This particular dispute was reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight on Joshua’s house, and at least one of the shots was believed to have been fired at the offending light,†WYSH said. “Joshua exited his home and returned fire, striking his father once in the rear end. Joshua was not struck by any gunfire.â€
In the affidavit, Alexander said police found a 9mm H&K handgun next to Terry Crawford. There was also an empty magazine next to him, Alexander said.
The warrant filed in December charged Terry Crawford with the unlawful possession of a weapon.
The new charges—there are now eight counts from the December shooting—were filed by the Anderson County Grand Jury on June 4. Crawford is scheduled to be arraigned in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Friday.
He has remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton since December 31, after he was released from the UT Medical Center. His total bond had been set at $1.7 million, an unusually large bond, but an interim order filed in Anderson County Criminal Court on May 17 said Crawford will be held without bond pending further court orders.
Oak Ridge Today has reported that Crawford has had other disputes with family members, including another one involving a firearm.
Crawford was indicted this month in one of the cases, which allegedly involved his sister’s house and vandalism of $1,000 or less. That charge is from an incident reported in October. In that case, Crawford has been accused of ramming his sister’s house, which is also on Lee Lane, with a tractor. That case also involved a reported dispute over a floodlight, according to court records.
In an order filed Tuesday, Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge recused himself from the attempted murder case and two other cases involving Crawford as a defendant. That’s because Crawford has a violation of probation charge pending from an aggravated assault case in 2014, and Elledge’s mother-in-law was one of the victims in that case, according to the recusal order. The recusal has been referred to Anderson County Chancellor M. Nichole Cantrell to determine whether another judge can hear the case.
In one of the cases involving Elledge’s recusal, Crawford has been charged with reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, reckless driving, and driving under the influence (1st offense and 2nd offense). That case—along with the attempted murder, vandalism, and violation of probation cases —is tentatively scheduled to be heard in Anderson County Criminal Court on Friday.
See previous stories here and here.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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