(Photo credit: Sevier County Sheriff’s Department)
A Southern Illinois man is dead and another has been charged following a shooting Saturday evening in the parking lot of Dolly Parton’s Stampede, a popular tourist attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Police say officers responded to reports of a gunshot around 7:30 p.m. Upon arrival, they found two men inside a vehicle. According to investigators, one of the men told officers that a handgun discharged while inside the vehicle, striking the other man.
The victim, identified as 22-year-old Jacob Inselmann of Steeleville, Illinois, was transported to LeConte Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.
Authorities have charged 24-year-old Evan Cogdill of Marissa, Illinois, with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the incident. Police indicate that the shooting appears to have been accidental, though the investigation remains ongoing. Officials have not released further details about what caused the firearm to discharge.
The incident occurred outside Dolly Parton’s Stampede, a well-known dinner theater that draws visitors from across the country. At this time, authorities have not said whether the two men were attending the show or why they were in the parking lot.
The investigation is continuing.