Ten-year-old Carter Franklin Lee Smith, a fifth-grader at Stuart-Burns Elementary School, died after suffering a gunshot wound to the head on the evening of Monday, September 29, 2025. Deputies from the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office found him at a home in Burns and he was taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where he was pronounced dead later that night.

Authorities opened an active investigation and initially described the shooting as believed to be accidental. As of the latest reports, no arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly named; the Sheriff’s Office has not released further details about how the shot was fired or who else was present.

The community responded with a large memorial and a celebration of Carter’s life, with thousands lining Main Street in nearby Dickson wearing the teams and characters he liked. Does anyone who knew Carter or was in Burns on September 29 have information that might help clarify what happened?