In a shocking incident in Tennessee, a man is facing charges of aggravated assault for allegedly firing at a pizza delivery driver who mistakenly parked in his driveway. The accused, Ryan S. Babcock, reportedly fired seven shots at the Domino’s delivery driver, as per the arrest warrant.
The delivery driver, 18-year-old Caiden Wheeler, recounted the incident to Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF. He had been delivering a pizza to a house on North Poole Street in Ashland City around 8 p.m. when he accidentally parked in the wrong driveway. After delivering the pizza to the correct house and returning to his truck, Babcock allegedly rushed at him and began shooting. Three of the seven bullets hit Wheeler’s truck, according to the affidavit.
Wheeler expressed his belief that Babcock should be facing more severe charges. “So I was literally about to get killed right there,” Wheeler told the outlet. “It is attempted murder in my opinion.”
The incident was captured on a Ring camera, and police were able to recover all seven shell casings. Wheeler voiced his understanding of the need for self-defense, but criticized Babcock’s extreme reaction. “I understand keeping your firearm, trying to be protective … protect your family, but I don’t think you should automatically shoot at someone because they pulled in. I don’t think that’s right,” Wheeler said.
Babcock reportedly told police that he saw a truck in his driveway on his Ring camera and thought someone was trying to break into his vehicle. He claimed to have grabbed his 9 mm handgun, ran outside, and began shooting in an attempt to disable the truck.
Wheeler pointed out to WTVF that his truck wasn’t marked, nor was he wearing a uniform. He expressed his disagreement with Babcock’s actions, stating, “I do believe there is — if you have reasonable cause — sometimes you got to do what you got to do, but in certain cases like this, I don’t think that was a reasonable cause and therefore I don’t agree with it.”
Babcock has since been released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 12.