Survivalist gunman hiding in woods after shooting wife and fleeing
A US special forces veteran who shot his wife and fled into the woods has been missing for days.
Craig Berry is at the centre of a massive manhunt after his wife called 911 on Friday, saying her husband shot her and tried to strangle her in the town of Dover, Tennessee.
Berry’s wife told police that they had been arguing when he tried to hit her and strangle her. When she ran to her car, Berry shot her in the neck before chasing her down the road, crashing his car and fleeing into the woods.
He hasn’t been seen since, except for on a blurry trail camera a few days ago.
The ‘survivalist’ has extensive training on how to live off-grid, and went home to get camouflage clothing and ammunition for his gun, Stewart County Sheriff Frankie Gray said.
Officers fear he may have gotten additional assistance after attacking his wife. Phone records show that he called his parents after the incident, but the Sheriff’s office said Berry’s parents are being cooperative.
There are fears that Berry could go off-grid to evade law enforcement, with the Sheriff adding: ‘His training taught him to get as far away as he can from populated areas. He may be trying to get out of the area.
‘He is really trained to survive in the outdoors. It’s just different … This guy’s just not going to pop out on the side of the road. He’s probably in it for the long haul.’
US Marshals, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are searching for Berry.
Berry has extensive army training, having been deployed to Iraq four times and leaving the Army as a first-class sergeant.
In New Zealand, a survivalist father went on the run with his three children and hasn’t been found since 2021.
The family were spotted wearing camouflage gear in October 2024, with another alleged sighting taking place by the State Highway 4 in February 2025.
Tom Phillips took his daughter Jayda, now 11, his nine-year-old son Maverick and his eight-year-old daughter Ember from the town of Marokpa in the north of the country in December 2021 to live in the wilderness.
His sister, Rozzi, said he believes Tom has built a hut or ‘nest’ in the bush as shelter for the family due to his skills as a builder.
The police’s theory is that Tom took his children after losing a custody battle over them to their mother.
They believe the family are camping out in the North Island’s western Waikato region.
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