One dead after Cherokee shooting
A woman is dead after an early-morning shooting on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
According to Ray Stamper, public information officer for the tribal public safety communications center, the victim is Erien Amanda Smith, 22, a non-enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The call came at 1:16 a.m. from the Rough Branch housing area in Wolfetown community, with a male caller indicating a female had been shot, Stamper said.
The initial call was answered by the Cherokee Indian Police, but the due to the nature of the case, the investigation was turned over to the FBI, Stamper said.
No one has been charged in connection with the crime, but one person of interest has been taken into custody for questioning, although the FBI has not released his name, Stamper said.
