ANDERSON — An Anderson mother has been formally charged after fatally shooting her 17-year-old daughter in what she claimed was a case of mistaken identity involving fears of her ex-husband.
Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor confirmed to WRTV that Tia Holmes, 38, has been booked in the Madison County Jail stemming from the fatal shooting of her daughter, Tianna, on December 28.
PREVIOUS | 17-year-old girl shot, killed by mother at Anderson home, police say
Her charges are:
- Neglect of a Dependent, a Level 3 felony
- Reckless Homicide, a Level 5 felony
- Neglect of a Dependent, a Lever 6 felony
Details from probable cause affidavit
According to a probable cause affidavit, Holmes told police she thought she was shooting at a "shadow" in her bathroom, believing it was her ex-husband attempting to break in.
Holmes had a protective order against him and had purchased a gun for protection after he allegedly left sticky notes on her car and garage door in July 2025.
The shooting occurred around 5 a.m. after Holmes she heard noises at windows throughout the night.
Holmes retrieved a handgun from under her mattress and fired toward what she described as a shadow in the half-bathroom attached to her bedroom.
Tianna had been using that bathroom and was struck in the chest.
According to documents, the victim's brother, who was home at the time, told investigators Holmes, his mother, had been "seeing shadows" for months and regularly walked around the house with the gun.
He said she had acted paranoid about someone being outside approximately seven times in a three-week period leading up to the shooting.
The son said Holmes would claim she sees her ex-husband everywhere, stating "Oh he's there," "oh he's there," "oh he's there" but "no he is not." He told police his mother "is schizo and she has been seeing shadows for years."
A family friend who was staying at the house said Holmes had been drinking whiskey and smoking marijuana that night. The friend said the mother woke her multiple times throughout the night, paranoid about her ex-husband being nearby.
After the shooting, Holmes reportedly said "Oh my god I didn't know it was her, I thought he was trying to get in here" and "I didn't mean to do it, I thought it was him trying to break into the bathroom."
The autopsy determined Tianna died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Holmes was hospitalized after the incident and had to be sedated due to her mental state. She was later admitted to the Anderson Center for psychological evaluation before being released to police custody.
DEC. 30
A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed by her mother inside their Anderson home Sunday morning, according to police.
The shooting occurred at a residence on the 2600 block of W 38th Street on December 28th.
Witnesses told police they could not recall any altercation before the shooting and only woke up to the sound of gunshots.
The teenager was taken to an area hospital where she later died, police said. The victim's mother was taken into custody, according to police.
The Madison County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 17-year-old Tianna Harris.
"I can't imagine. I have two daughters of my own. I can't imagine something like that happening. I don't know how you deal with that as a parent," Cummings said.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said early information suggests the daughter left the house during the night and returned very early in the morning, allegedly startling her mother.
"It appears that the daughter left the house during the night and then came back very early in the morning, and the mother was startled. It appears that's the early information right now," Cummings said.
The prosecutor said he does not believe the killing was malicious or intentional.
"I understand, particularly being, you know, in a home and that happening early in the morning, you might be startled, you might be scared, probably so, but please be careful, just please be careful," Cummings said.
Neighbor Kevin Holland said the incident has shaken the community.
"It's kind of scary. We've never had anything like this happen before, and I feel for the family and everything, and we really don't know exactly what happened," Holland said.
Cummings said he is weighing whether to file charges in the case as the investigation continues.
"Be careful. Protect yourself, but please be careful. I mean, there's no way to pull that bullet back once you pull the trigger, and you just have to be very careful," Cummings said.
Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
