All three injured in White Pine shooting dead, police say

A fourth person involved in the incident was not injured, officials said.
The third person shot in White Pine at a Pilot gas station has died, according to officials.
Published: Jan. 8, 2022 at 10:34 AM EST|Updated: Jan. 8, 2022 at 6:43 PM EST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn
White Pine Pilot Shooting Update

Will Puckett WVLT and Meteorologist Paige Noel deliver your top headlines and weather, including an update on the deadly White Pine Pilot shooting. More: https://bit.ly/3n9fGSR

Posted by WVLT on Saturday, January 8, 2022

WHITE PINE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The third person shot in White Pine at a Pilot gas station has died, according to officials.

The shooting happened Monday afternoon. Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told WVLT News that the incident stemmed from a custody drop-off between the two parents who were meeting to change custody of their child.

According to authorities, Christopher Ray Welch, 48, of Harriman, Tennessee, was pronounced dead on the scene.

Kenneth Cook, 58, was previously in critical condition and on life-support at the University of Tennessee Medical Center following the shooting. On Saturday, White Pine Police Department told WVLT News that he had also died from his injuries. He was a reverend at the Mosheim Church of God and a veteran.

The 16-year-old girl, Teagan Welch, died from her injuries Thursday, school officials confirmed. Christopher was the biological father and Cook was the stepfather of the teen girl, White Pine officials said.

A fourth person involved in the incident was not injured, officials said.

Sheriff Coffey said that the White Pine Police Department is leading the investigation. Specifics of the shooting have not been released yet.

This is developing.

Copyright 2022 WVLT. All rights reserved.