The man accused of firing more than 60 times at the former home of Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Wilson County more than a year ago pleaded guilty to multiple charges in court on January 12.
Tyler Poole, 21, of Hermitage, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment ahead of a trial scheduled for March 11-13. Poole has been jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail since being booked on Dec. 4, 2024, according to Wilson County Sheriff’s Office records.
Poole attended the defense wearing an orange suit and answered questions calmly. Judge Brody Kane presided over the case.
“We don’t have any ill will toward Taylor,” Locke said. “We pray that his encounter with Jesus changed his life. We hope he remains strong and healthy.
“We all make terrible decisions that either define us or destroy us. We sincerely hope that he will grow from this, come out of this and have an amazingly happy life and family.”
Greg Locke and his wife, Tasha, returned home after gunfire filled their home, a car and a garage, according to a report from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. At least one child was home at the time of the gunfire, the report said.
Poole was sentenced to five years in prison for aggravated assault.
He was also sentenced to two years in prison on each count of reckless endangerment, which will be served concurrently with the aggravated assault charge, adding to the more than a year he has already served in prison for a total of five years, officials said.
On January 12, 2025, Tyler Poole was brought into Wilson County Court.
The shooting occurred at Locke’s former home in the 1700 block of Chandler Road in western Wilson County on the evening of Sept. 3, 2024, police said. The residence is near where World Vision Bible Church formerly met in a large white tent at 2060 Old Dirt Road in Lebanon.
According to reports, no one was injured in the shooting. Police reports said the attackers used automatic weapons.
Assistant District Attorney Tammy Meade told presiding judge Kane that 67 shots were fired at Locke’s former home. A total of 64 shell casings were recovered, Meade said.
After the shooting, Locke posted on social media that a bullet ripped through the headboard of the pastor’s youngest daughter’s bed and lodged in her pillow.
Locke no longer lives in the house where the gunfire occurred.
Pastor Greg Locke preached on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
Global Vision is also moving to 1010 Maddox Simpson Parkway, Lebanon, in late 2024.
Locke has a large following on social media and is known for his conservative political stance and activities, such as inviting people to burn church objects related to witchcraft and the occult.
Two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of vandalism were dismissed as part of the plea.
This article originally appeared in Nashville, Tenn.: Man who shot at Tennessee pastor Greg Locke’s home pleads guilty
