MADISON, Tenn. (WTVF) — A beloved son and father was gunned down during an apparent road rage incident, and it happened just feet from his family's auto body shop.
NewsChannel 5 has followed Timmy Fetter's story for more than a year, as his loved ones desperately waited for an arrest. Finally, that day has come.
The incident unfolded just feet away from his family's auto body shop.
Bruce and Sherry Fetter have advocated for their son Timmy Fetter in life and now in death.
“He had many people that loved him. He would do anything for anybody,” said Sherry Fetter.
That is why it's hard for these parents to fathom why someone would shoot and kill their 48-year-old son.
Timmy had two loves: his daughter, Rachel, and his cars. Timmy was inside his red Pontiac GTO when Nashville police said that on Jan. 11, 2023, someone started shooting at the car in an apparent road rage incident.
“The whole things come down he was killed for senseless I mean there was no, no reason or rhyme to it,” said Bruce Fetter.
Timmy was killed across from his family’s auto business.
Bruce was there.
“To hold your son and know that he was going to die, there was nothing I could do to stop it just made me feel so totally helpless.”
These grieving parents waited days for justice, but those days turned into weeks and then months and more than a year.
“It's a day that we were hoping would come. We got to thinking it might not ever come,” Bruce Fetter said.
Stefanie Hernandez, 27, was arrested this week and is in jail without bond on a second-degree murder charge.
The investigation shows she was present when Timmy was fatally shot at in his car. Police say at least one additional arrest in this case is expected.
“There’s still one more out there,” said Bruce Fetter. “We're halfway there. We’re halfway there; this way I look at it.”
This family says despite the pain of losing a child, they thank their friends, community and even strangers from getting them through these tough times.
They just hope Timmy's story can help show the dangers of road rage.
The Fetter family said — despite their financial strains due to fighting this case — they are planning on raising money this summer to help the local victim support group Partners in the Struggle because members helped them during this time.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
