Suspect Arrested in Death of Deputy Found in Burning Home

A man arrested Monday after an hours-long standoff in Smyrna, TN, was wanted in connection with the death of a Robertson County Sheriff's Office deputy, the Nashville Tennessean reported. The standoff ended around 11:30 a.m., according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and stemmed from the execution of a search warrant.

Deputy Savanna Puckett, 22, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside her burning home in Springfield Sunday night, NewsChannel5 reported.

According to a Robertson County Sheriff’s Office statement, Puckett did not report to her assigned shift for roll-call around 5 p.m. Sunday. A deputy went to her residence on Highway 41N in Springfield, TN, to check on her, and found her home engulfed in flames. The deputy attempted to make entry into the home; however, was unable to do so due to the extent of the fire. The fire department arrived and made entry into the residence where they found Deputy Puckett shot. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputy Puckett had been with the sheriff’s office for four years. TBI is investigating.

“Words cannot express the sadness and grief that Savanna’s family and her sheriff’s office family are facing right now. This is a tragedy that we are processing minute by minute. Please keep Savanna, her family, and the sheriff’s office in your thoughts and prayers,” stated Sheriff Michael Van Dyke.