On the evening of August 22, 2025, Buell Cody Thomason, 39, was shot and killed at a residence on Grassy Creek Road in Copperhill, Tennessee. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office found Thomason on the walkway of the home with a fatal gunshot wound to his face; emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. His body was taken to the Knoxville Regional Forensic Center for autopsy.

The shooting followed a domestic dispute between Thomason and his 51-year-old girlfriend, Rhonda G. Deal, reportedly over a bag Thomason had borrowed or taken from another person living in the house to carry his personal items. Witnesses said the argument seemed to have subsided, but about thirty minutes later a gunshot was heard.

Deputies recovered a single-shot .410 gauge shotgun loaded with slug-type ammunition and identified Rhonda G. Deal as the suspected shooter. She was arrested, charged with first-degree murder, and booked into the Polk County Jail being held without bond. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate.

If anyone witnessed the events that night or has information about the dispute or the moments before the shooting, please come forward.