Julia Shields, the woman accused of donning body armor and shooting at neighbors in Hixson just after Christmas, appears before Judge Starnes for a preliminary hearing.Julia Shields, the woman accused of donning body armor and shooting at neighbors in Hixson just after Christmas, appeared before Judge Starnes for a preliminary hearing this morning.
Her faded blonde hair was tied in a loose pony tail as she entered the courtroom in shackles. Shields stands accused of donning body armor and shooting at several people and cars in Hixson on the day after Christmas. Among the charges against her are attempted first degree murder.
Wearing a red jumpsuit, Shields sat in a chair before Judge Starnes, starring straight ahead as more than eight witnesses testify against her. Three boys who live in the neighborhood separately testified about Shields waving a gun at them as they were riding their bikes.
An eight-year-old boy testified that he was “really scared” when Shields waived the gun at him and his friends before pulling off down the hill.
The child’s father, Chris Snyder, said he watched the boys fly down the hill towards his house screaming and crying.
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Jennifer Clouse was standing in her yard Friday in her quiet Hixson neighborhood when she saw a woman quickly drive past her house holding a gun out of the window as if it were a cigarette.
“She was just casually holding a gun, and wearing a baseball hat,” said Clouse, who lives on Cloverdale Drive. “It was crazy. … This is a pretty quiet area.”