In the summer of 2018, the life of a young mother and Army Reservist was cut tragically short in a Chattanooga, Tennessee apartment. Lauren Elizabeth Bonnema, a 25-year-old female, was fatally shot on the evening of July 2, 2018. The incident unfolded inside a residence at the Hidden Creek Apartments on East Brainerd Road, where she lived with her boyfriend and their infant daughter.
Authorities arriving at the scene discovered a heartbreaking sight: Lauren's boyfriend, 29-year-old Cody
Neal Gilliland, standing in a doorway, holding their seven-month-old baby. Inside, Lauren had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the face. The subsequent investigation by police determined that her death was the result of her boyfriend's 'negligent handling' of a loaded firearm. Gilliland was taken into custody and charged with criminally negligent homicide.
During questioning, Gilliland told investigators a story of a seemingly mundane moment that took a horrific turn. He claimed he had become agitated with a dog that had followed him into a bedroom. In his frustration, he began yelling and kicking at the animal, and in the process, an AR-15 rifle he was handling accidentally discharged. The bullet traveled through the bedroom door, striking and killing Lauren Bonnema.
A lifelong resident of Chattanooga, Lauren was remembered as an active member of the Brainerd Hills Baptist Church with a passion for music and animals. In addition to her service in the Army Reserves, she was a devoted mother to her young daughter, Ashlyn. The medical examiner later confirmed that a single gunshot wound to the face was the cause of her death, leaving a community to mourn a life ended far too soon by a preventable tragedy.
