WSMV News 4 is reporting part-time Grundy County deputy Mike Holmes fired a shot that may have struck 20-year-old Shelby Comer last Saturday night.

Holmes was involved in a high-speed chase with 32-year-old Jacky Bean on Dec 23. According to Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum, after Bean pulled over the deputy got out of his car and Bean drove toward the deputy, who fired shots into the car. Thirty minutes later, authorities found Bean’s car in a ditch along B Mine Road.

Comer was unresponsive in the passenger seat. Bean, who fled, was also reportedly shot during the incident.
The TBI is leading the investigation into Comer’s death. TBI spokesperson Josh Devine told News 4 that Comer suffered a single gunshot wound prior to her death. Devine would not say who fired the shot that struck her.

When reached by phone, deputy Holmes, who is also the fire chief in Monteagle, declined to comment. Sheriff Shrum said he “will not confirm or deny at this point” whether Holmes is the deputy who fired shots into the car.

There are also questions about how much law enforcement training deputy Holmes has received. He works as a part-time deputy, meaning he is not required to be certified by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST commission.

Grundy County attorney Bill Rieder reportedly did not respond to a News 4 request for Holmes’ employment file.

Comer’s funeral was Friday in Altamont. Her former beauty school instructor told News 4 her mysterious death has rocked their small community.

“She’s going to be put in the ground and it’s going to be hard to believe,” Cristie Fults said. “It’s going to be hard to see her and hard to let her go.”