COFFEE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A gunman executed a hostage in front of his pregnant wife during a weekend crime spree spanning several Tennessee counties, according to friends of the victims.
The suspect, accused of killing two people and wounding at least three others was identified by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as Dangelo Dorsey, a St. Louis man, who eventually took his own life.
During a news conference Sunday night, David Rausch, the director of the TBI said the situation began around 9:30 a.m., when Dorsey opened fire inside of a vehicle traveling along Interstate 24 near the Beechgrove exit. He killed one person inside with him, identified as 28-year-old Darcey Johnson, and wounded another, the director explained.
As traffic stopped along the interstate, Rausch said Dorsey got out of the vehicle he was in and attempted to carjack another driver, shooting that driver in the hand. A truck driver in the area was also reportedly shot in the face.
Dorsey then carjacked a couple, identified as Phillip Jordan Stevens and Aileen Stevens, forcing them to drive him to their home in Morrison, where he took two firearms, swapped vehicles and took the man and woman as hostages, Rausch explained.
In the coming hours, Rausch said Dorsey executed Phillip Jordan Stevens, 23, and threw him from the vehicle. His body was later recovered along I-24 westbound near Exit 111-B.
Law enforcement located Dorsey’s vehicle traveling eastbound on I-24 around 3:30 p.m. Following a pursuit that reached speeds of approximately 100 miles per hour, Dorsey crashed, then took his own life, investigators said.
Aileen Stevens, who friends said is pregnant, was found in the crashed vehicle and was not seriously injured, Rausch added.
A GoFundMe page set up to benefit the Stevens family raised $5,000 within 12 hours.
Dorsey had no adult arrest record in Tennessee and was not wanted by law enforcement on any outstanding warrants, Rausch said Monday morning. He added Dorsey does have an “extensive criminal record” in his home state of Missouri.
The incident remains under investigation by the TBI.