In the quiet town of Morristown, Tennessee, the life of 16-year-old Tamia Clark was tragically cut short on the night of Friday, May 12, 2017. A student at Morristown East High School, where she was a dedicated member of the school's band, Tamia was a young woman with a future full of promise. Her life, however, came to a violent end in the serene setting of Cherokee Park.
That evening, a domestic dispute between Tamia and her 19-year-old on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dalton Mitchell
Hodges, escalated with devastating consequences. Inside Hodges' Toyota Camry, the argument turned physical, culminating in Hodges discharging a firearm. The single gunshot struck Tamia in the head, inflicting a fatal wound.
Law enforcement and emergency services were dispatched to the park just before midnight, where they discovered the grim scene. Tamia was rushed to UT Medical Center, but her injuries were too severe, and she was pronounced dead on Saturday, May 13, 2017. The weapon used was identified as a small-caliber handgun.
Dalton Mitchell Hodges was taken into custody at the scene without incident. In his statement to investigators, he admitted to firing the weapon. He was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Hodges was booked into the Hamblen County Jail and held without bond pending his arraignment. Further details regarding the resolution of the legal proceedings, including a trial, conviction, or sentencing, have not been publicly reported.
