Van Franklin Cates, a 68-year-old white man, was found dead of a gunshot wound at his Mt. View Road residence in Hohenwald, Tennessee, on the morning of April 12, 2024. Emergency responders discovered him after a shooting; an adult woman at the scene also suffered gunshot injuries and was airlifted to a Nashville hospital in critical condition.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened an immediate inquiry into the double shooting. Investigators identified a 15-year-old juvenile as a suspect; the teen was taken into custody and is being held in a juvenile detention facility on charges that include criminal homicide.

The community continues to reel from the violence and is awaiting further developments in the case while hoping for the woman’s recovery. If anyone has information about the events on Mt. View Road that morning, please come forward to assist the investigation.