Man arrested after allegedly shooting into local business, fire department. What we know
UPDATE FROM THE NEWBERN POLICE DEPARTMENT (7/8/25):
The Newbern Police Department has made an arrest in connection with the June 10, 2025, shooting incident that involved gunfire directed at a Lake County Sheriff’s Office patrol unit.
SEE ALSO: Shooting investigation underway after Sheriff’s Office vehicle struck by gunfire
Following an ongoing investigation, NPD investigators obtained arrest warrants for Phillip Allen McGuire, age 41, of Dyersburg, Tennessee. McGuire is currently being held at the Dyer County Law Enforcement Center and is awaiting an appearance in Newbern Municipal Court. He is charged with Felony Reckless Endangerment and Vandalism Over $1,000.
The case was led by the Newbern Police Department Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Dyersburg Police Department.
Chief Greg Barr commended the efforts of the CID team and extended appreciation to the TBI and DPD for their assistance.
“This case highlights the professionalism and persistence of our investigators, and the strong partnerships we maintain with state and local agencies,” said Chief Barr. “We are committed to ensuring those who commit acts of violence in our community are held accountable.”
ORIGINAL STORY (7/7/25):
DYERSBURG, Tenn. — While families were celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks, one resident allegedly opened fire at a local business and a fire station.
The Dyersburg Police Department has charged Allen McGuire with vandalism, six counts of felony reckless endangerment and more. Here’s what we know.
Nathan Ward with First Choice Farm and Lawn says two of his tractors were hit by the gunshots.
“I couldn’t really believe that someone would do that to just a business that’s trying to serve the people of the community. It’s pretty unbelievable that someone would have that attitude to just randomly shoot at tractors on the side of the road,” said Nathan Ward, general manager First Choice.
In surveillance footage around 10:53 p.m. Friday, you can see the tractor windows were struck. The damages for the tractors are estimated to be around $3-3,500 each.
A few minutes earlier, around 10:45 p.m., the Dyersburg Fire Department was also struck.
“We’re used to going into dangerous situations and things like that but it’s just a new thing for us. We’ll make it just like we do just like anything else,” said Jay Cryer, shift captain for the Dyersburg Fire Department.
For firemen of DFD, what was a calm night turned into a frantic morning.
“It was a very calm night that night. We didn’t make an alarm all night or a fire call the whole shift. I actually told the captain coming on duty ‘we had a calm night.’ Thankfully, we did and come to find out, 15 minutes after shift change, it was pretty disheartening,” said Cryer.
Although firemen did not receive a call that night, the thought of ‘What if?’ was the most concerning.
“Some of us were asleep, some of us were up. One of the firefighters had just walked out and walked back in the building right before it happened to my understanding,” said Cryer.
Two bay doors were shot, one of their brand new engines received damages to a strip light, another engine windshield was damaged, gear belonging to one fireman was shot beyond replacement, however, no injuries were reported.
“It was very sickening that we could have been ready to respond to a call and one of been shot easily. Actually a round went through one of our SBA harnesses. The harness actually goes right on your shoulder so it was a large caliber pistol it would have been very bad,” said Cryer.
Overall the firefighters of that shift were relieved that no one was injured.
“You can replace engines, you can replace windshields, but you can’t replace firefighters. We thank God that nothing like that happened,” said Cryer.
The Dyersburg Fire Department also shared this press release in regard to the incident:
On the morning of July 5th, 2025, it was discovered that shots had been fired at our fire station located at 216 S. Church Ave. in Dyersburg, TN.
The damage included two of our engine bay doors, which were closed at the time of the incident, an emergency light bar atop our newest engine, the windshield of our ladder truck, as well as a firefighter’s SCBA breathing apparatus located at the rear of that vehicle. We thank God that no personnel were injured in the shooting event.
Currently, we are in the process of obtaining estimates to repair or replace damaged equipment and Apparatus, as a result of this incident. No dollar loss figures are currently available for report.
We are used to encountering stressful and sometimes very dangerous situations because of our chosen careers, but experiencing such a dangerous and needless violent situation inside our own Fire Station is something we have never faced.
For more information about McGuire’s arrest, including the full list of charges, click here.
For more local crime coverage, click here.
