The Tracy City Police Department has arrested a couple in connection with the Oct. 16 shooting of a 9-year-old boy last week. TCPD Chief Charlie Wilder, along with Officer Jacob Nunley and Officer James Whitman, arrested Julie Lynn Nickell and Gregory Scott Nickell last Tuesday morning at their Tracy City residence.
The two Nickells were charged with four counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon involved. Gregory was also charged with three counts of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. According to Wilder, police confiscated two handguns, including the .38 Special revolver used in the shooting, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a few hundred rounds at the time of the arrests.
On Sunday, October 16, Julie’s great-nephew, Jax Coulter, was shot in the side with a hollow point bullet from the .38 revolver. The bullet damaged his liver, a kidney and his spine, barely missing his spinal cord. Jax was airlifted that evening to Erlanger Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga where he was immediately placed on life support. After an 11-day stay and multiple surgeries to repair his damaged organs, Jax was released to his parents, Johnny and Sierra Coulter, and returned home to Indiana. The bullet, however, remains lodged in the child’s spine. Due to the sensitivity of the location, surgery to remove it has not yet taken place.
the herald spoke with Johnny and Sierra on Monday night. Although they are grateful that his life was spared, his recovery is far from over.
“The bullet is still lodged in the vertebrae, but did not hit his spinal cord,” Johnny said. “Jax had a CT scan and x-rays to determine which course to take. Jax can’t start physical therapy until the scans and x-rays are reviewed. At this moment, his right arm is bent at a 45 degree angle and he walks bent forward.
Sierra added: “Jax wakes up in the middle of the night screaming in pain. He takes methocarbamol, which is used to treat muscle spasms/pain, and low doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Our 6 month is receiving a higher dose than Jax has authorized.We are awaiting a referral to a pain management specialist.
The Coulters’ lives changed the night of the 16th. They traveled from Indiana to Grundy County with their two children, Jax and 6-month-old sister, Mia, to celebrate and show their support for the opening of Grundy House. , an establishment opened by the Nickells. After the groundbreaking and grand opening of the youth center, Johnny and his wife had returned to their Airbnb in Altamont to rest with their 6-month-old baby and await the rest of family and friends from Indiana and Florida to share in celebration.
According to the Coulters, Jax was left in the care of his grandmother. Through Sierra, she had told Julie Nickell about the plan. Jax and the other kids were going to help the Nikells prepare for the VBS program which was to start the next day. Once settled, the children would eat pizza before heading to Altamont. Neither parent is sure what happened next, but Sierra received the fateful phone call alerting her to the shooting. Both claim they left Jax with Kim Adams, Sierra’s adoptive mother, who had traveled from Florida with her son’s 6- and 9-year-old sons. Jax was spending time with his cousins, including the two teenage Nickells. They still don’t know how and why the children were taken to the Nickells’ home in Tracy City.
“Kim Adams is the direct link to this disaster,” Johnny said. “She brought the children from Florida and was directly responsible for their care. Sierra and I have no idea how the kids got to the Nickells and we would never have allowed it. We expected them to finish and come to the Airbnb. We’ve never been to Julie’s and we don’t know Scott very well.
The Coulters learned of the shooting over the phone and rushed from Altamont to Jasper where Jax had been flown to meet the Life Force helicopter that would take him to Chattanooga. Although the experience was terrifying and traumatic, Coulter said the Life Force team and hospital nurses and doctors comforted them and made the experience tolerable.
“Life Force people came to check on Jax; we enjoyed that a lot,” Johnny said. “It was a beautiful thing to see nurses and doctors taking care of people at their worst. They consoled my child, held his hand and comforted him in their presence.
Both Johnny and Sierra have expressed relief that Jax’s wounds have started to heal and his life has been spared, but want to educate people about what happened and the Nickells’ role as directors of the programs. center youth.
Julie Nickell had reached out to the herald early October to promote the opening of the center and their Fall Bash VBS which coincided with the Grundy County Schools fall vacation. To the Coulters’ amazement, the VBS program continued the following day.
“Less than 24 hours after the shooting, Julie opened the doors and held VBS,” Sierra said. “We were in the hospital watching our son cling to life and they went on with life as usual.”
“These people are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” said Johnny, who pointed to the previous crime, the number of weapons allegedly located in the house and the pending charges.
Johnny went on to say, “I am a father and a veteran seeking justice for my son, and I will never stop. These people spent less than a day in jail when my son had a bullet lodged in his spine. People in your county should know the truth.
The Coulters said this experience would not prevent them from returning to Tennessee. In fact, they plan to return every year to mark the day their lives changed forever.
“We plan to come back every year,” Johnny said, “Jax told me it wouldn’t be the anniversary of the shooting, but the anniversary of his release from the hospital.”
While in Chattanooga, the Coulters split their time between the hospital and Ronald McDonald House, which provides accommodations for families with children in care who come from out of town or out of state. The organization’s motto is “Helping families feel at home even when they can’t.”
“I never realized what Ronald McDonald House offered families before that,” Johnny said. “You see these coin scraps at the restaurant, but I never thought about where the donations go. One of the best experiences of all of this was Ronald McDonald House. It’s a great organization.
Sierra agreed, “Our daughter was too young to get into PICU when Jax was there. Johnny spent the nights in the bedroom with Jax and I with Mia. In the morning, or whenever I could, we changed so I could get in. We could wash clothes, shower, sleep, and have access to the kitchen whenever we needed it. They try to normalize the experience as much as possible for parents and families. I will eat at McDonalds the rest of my life.
It wasn’t just the RMH that treated the Coulters well, the hospital gave them nappies and wipes, a play mat and lots of other things they wouldn’t have traveled with.
“We learned what Southern Hospitality is really about,” Sierra said. “The nurses, doctors and everyone at the hospital and RMH made us as comfortable as possible during the 11 days we were there. It was amazing that there were so many resources available for parents.”
Jax was transferred Oct. 27 from Erlanger to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he continues to receive outpatient care. Before returning to Indiana, the family was able to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. One of Jax’s doctors in Erlanger presented him with aquarium passes when he was released.
“It’s going to take a while for Jax to regain his physical abilities,” Johnny said. “He’s a very active 9-year-old athlete. He is crazy about baseball.
Jax’s teammates have started a fundraising campaign – Jax Strong #6 – to help cover his medical bills, travel expenses, and the bill the family will receive from Life Force. The team and the community rallied behind Jax.
“Jax can’t wait to get back to playing,” Johnny said. “Right now he’s limited to about three hours of activity a day, but nothing strenuous. He plays video games and interacts with his little sister.
The Nickells were held at the GC Detention Center on bail of $25,000 for Julie and $50,000 for Gregory. According to the GCDC, Julie posted bond last Tuesday and Gregory on Wednesday, November 9.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation,” Wilder said.
the herald will update the story as information becomes available.
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