Jennifer AmacherA Middle Tennessee mother has been charged in connection with her 12-year-old son's fatal December shooting of an 11-year-old schoolmate in Estill Springs, Tenn.
Jennifer Ann Amacher, 39, listed in booking records as a resident of Old Fort Street in Tullahoma, is charged by Franklin County authorities with reckless endangerment five months after the deadly shooting, Franklin County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chris Guess said on Friday. The charge stems from the Dec. 11, 2015, fatal shooting of 11-year-old Sienna Dusk Owens, of Decherd, who was found alive in a garage at a home on Honey Lane in Estill Springs when authorities arrived.
Officers performed CPR on the girl at the scene, but the 11-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester, authorities said in December. The girl had been shot in the upper right area of her back.
Amacher, the 12-year-old boy's mother, was at the home when the shooting occurred, Guess said.
Amacher could not be reached Friday for comment. A telephone number listed for her in Estill Springs was not working.
She is a former employee of the city of Tullahoma. Amacher had been the planning and codes director for the city in neighboring Coffee County for 16 years when she was fired May 14, 2015, over missing work for medical reasons, federal court records show. Amacher filed a federal lawsuit against the city in August alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.
That case is still pending in court, records show.
Franklin County authorities wouldn't discuss details of the fatal shooting case on Friday.
Sienna was a North Middle School student who participated in soccer, cheerleading, basketball and track. She is survived by three sisters and two brothers, as well as her parents and grandparents, according to online obituary information on the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home website.
Meanwhile, Amacher remains free on $15,000 bond and faces a date in court on May 13.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.