A special forces veteran is accused of shooting his wife and fleeing. A blurry trail camera photo is his last sighting
A blurry photo captured by a trail camera is the last identified sighting of Craig Berry, a special forces veteran who is now on the heart of a manhunt after he was accused of attempting to kill his wife.
The picture exhibits a person in camouflage, believed to be Berry, working into the Tennessee woods within the center of the evening following the shooting, Stewart County Sheriff Frankie Gray advised CNN.
Authorities came upon concerning the shooting when Berry’s wife known as 911 early Friday morning, saying she had been shot throughout a home dispute, an arrest affidavit from the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office exhibits.
By the time investigators received to the couple’s residence, Berry had vanished, Gray stated. The 53-year-old hasn’t been seen since, the sheriff stated, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The shooting occurred within the northern Tennessee metropolis of Dover, simply south of the Kentucky border.
Despite the extreme pursuit, many residents within the “close-knit” neighborhood aren’t anxious, stated John Bidwell, supervisor of The Dip Dairy Freeze diner.
“I would say (the mood) is pretty casual,” Bidwell advised CNN. “I think most people are armed.”
The sheriff shared an identical sentiment: “It’s not (that) everybody’s got a weapon. Usually, everybody’s got several,” Gray stated.
Wife stated Berry tried to strangle her
This picture seems to indicate Craig Berry, who is accused of shooting his wife earlier than fleeing into the woods. – Stewart County Sheriff’s Office
Berry’s wife advised officers the shooting occurred at their residence after a verbal argument turned bodily, the affidavit exhibits. The girl recalled being hit within the head a number of occasions earlier than her husband tried to strangle her.
She finally escaped and ran to her automobile, the doc exhibits.
Berry then shot at her, hitting her within the neck, the affidavit says, however the girl nonetheless managed to drive away. Berry then allegedly received in his truck to chase her, however crashed.
“The suspect fled into the woods near the residence before deputies arrived,” the sheriff’s workplace stated in a Facebook post Monday.
Berry’s wife has since been launched from the hospital, Gray advised CNN.
Suspect with special survival abilities got here residence for ammo, officers say
As a retired special forces veteran, Gray says Berry is educated to hunker down within the woods and keep put for some time.
“He is an excellent swimmer and diver, and is in good physical shape,” the publish stated. “He is armed with at least one handgun and is believed to have taken extra ammunition.”
Following the shooting, Berry returned residence, became camouflage clothes and is believed to have obtained a maintain of extra ammunition, Gray advised CNN.
Berry was deployed to Iraq 4 occasions and left the Army as a sergeant firstclass, a spokesperson for the US Army stated.
“Craig M. Berry was an Infantryman (11B) and Special Forces Medical Sergeant (18D) in the regular Army from 1992 to 2016,” US Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge advised CNN.
Berry known as his dad and mom whereas on the run, sheriff says
Investigators scaled again the large search Sunday into Monday attributable to climate, Gray added. But one explicit space, close to the crime scene, nonetheless must be combed over.
“We’re still focusing on pretty much the same area, but we’re going to expand it a little bit,” Gray advised CNN. “We’re going to search really, really detailed. Slow and methodical.”
Several legislation enforcement businesses are helping within the search, Gray stated, together with the US Marshals Service, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Search crews are additionally hindered by the tough terrain. About 30 miles from Dover is the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, considered “one of the largest contiguous blocks of undeveloped forest in the eastern United States.”
“We are not ruling out the possibility that he has received some outside assistance after the incident,” the sheriff’s workplace stated. “We have no information that he is no longer in the area.”
Investigators know Berry made a cellphone name to his dad and mom after the shooting, Gray stated with out offering additional particulars. His dad and mom have been cooperative within the investigation, the sheriff added.
The manhunt evoked reminiscences of one other seek for a suspect that haunted Stewart County for days.
In 2018, homicide suspect Kirby Wallace evaded authorities for every week, CNN affiliate WTVC reported. He was finally captured and later pleaded gulity to homicide, tried homicide, housebreaking, theft, kidnapping and arson.
Gray, who had solely been sheriff for a few week when the Wallace manhunt began, stated the seek for Berry poses much more difficulties.
“His training taught him to get as far away as he can from populated areas,” the sheriff stated. “He may be trying to get out of the area. But Kirby wasn’t. He stayed in that one particular area the whole time.”
And Berry, armed with weapons, “is really trained to survive in the outdoors,” Gray stated. “It’s just different… This guy’s just not going to pop out on the side of the road. He’s probably in it for the long haul.”
This story has been up to date with further info.
CNN’s Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
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