White Pine, Tenn. – A former resident of Marble, N.C., and his teenage daughter died last week after an apparent child custody exchange ended in a tragic shooting.
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Christopher Ray Welch, 48, of Harriman, died at the scene of the Jan. 3 shooting, which occurred off Exit 4 on Interstate 81 in Jefferson County. Teagan Welch, 16, passed away Friday from her injuries.
White Pine Police Chief Chad Cotter reported that there was a domestic issue during a child custody exchange involving four people. Three were shot – including Teagan’s stepfather, Ken Cook, 58, pastor of Mosheim Church of God – while a fourth unidentified person was not injured.
“We’re just trying figure out what happened,” Cotter told citizentribune.com. “We do feel like the shooter was on the scene (when police arrived). We do feel like one of them was the deceased. It was not an active shooter situation. It appears to be a domestic situation.”
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More than 100 people turned out on the night of Jan. 5 for the prayer vigil at Greeneville High School, an indication of the regard students and faculty have for the family. A junior, Teagen is well-liked among her peers, marched in the band and was on the bowling team, Principal Martin McDonald told greenvillesun.com.
Cook has served as pastor of Mosheim Church of God since June 2018, coming to Greene County from Cleveland, Tenn. He also works as a truck driver with the county’s Solid Waste Office.
Christopher Welch was a native of Cherokee County and 1991 graduate of Andrews High School. In 1992, he joined the U.S. Army, eventually becoming a Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Instructor who made numerous deployments to Bosnia in 1998-99. He later worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.