On May 30, 2018, Sergeant Daniel Scott Baker, a 32-year-old male, was shot and killed while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in Dickson County, Tennessee. A 10-year veteran of the Dickson County Sheriff's Office and a former U.S. Marine, Sgt. Baker had approached a vehicle and, after a brief interaction, was fatally shot by the driver.
After losing contact with him, fellow officers initiated a search and located his patrol car several miles away with his body inside.
The incident sparked a massive two-day manhunt for the primary suspect, Steven Wiggins. Wiggins was eventually captured in a rural area within two miles of where the shooting occurred. He appeared dehydrated and was believed to be coming off drugs at the time of his arrest. A woman who was in the vehicle with Wiggins at the time of the shooting, Erika Castro-Miles, was also taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.
Body camera footage from Sgt. Baker's uniform played a crucial role in the investigation and subsequent trial. The video captured the traffic stop and the shooting, showing Wiggins opening fire with a pistol. After shooting Sgt. Baker, Wiggins drove the officer's patrol car to a remote field, set it on fire with the deputy's body inside, and fled.
In August 2021, a jury found Steven Wiggins guilty of all charges, including premeditated first-degree murder, arson, and abuse of a corpse. The defense had argued that the killing was not premeditated, but the jury rejected this claim after viewing the body camera footage and Wiggins' own confession. Following the conviction, Steven Wiggins was sentenced to death for the murder of Sergeant Daniel Scott Baker.
