A "hand gesture" allegedly led to the shooting of two men Friday night, leaving one dead and the other in the hospital.

Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Clint Brookshire was the first officer on the scene at Hidden Lake Campground outside of Tellico Plains and found bystanders performing CPR on Vince Mitchell Cole, 41, Tellico Plains, who had been shot under his right arm near the shoulder. Brookshire said he did not see an exit wound from the bullet.

Brookshire attempted CPR on Cole himself, then Sheriff Bill Bivens did the same, but Cole was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Brookshire said the second victim, Danny Sean Adams, 36, Tellico Plains, was awake, but not responding verbally. Brookshire said Adams had been shot in the abdomen and had shallow breathing and was gray in color. He was taken to UT Medical Center for treatment. As of Monday afternoon, Adams was listed in stable condition.

Witnesses told Brookshire Cole and Adams had been arguing with Josh Anderson, 27, Madisonville, over an alleged hand gesture when the three began fighting. Witness said Cole punched Anderson three times in the face and Anderson pulled out a gun and told them to get back.

Witnesses said Cole and Adams kept pushing Anderson up the driveway and Anderson fired one shot into the ground and then fired two more shots at the men, hitting Adams first, then Cole.

Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Mike Morgan said the shooting is still under investigation, but it will probably be left up to a grand jury to decide whether any charges are filed.

"We're working with the DA's office and the TBI," Morgan said, "and when the investigation is completed, we'll let a grand jury decide whether the case will proceed. But no charges have been filed as of yet."

Morgan said the area at Hidden Lake Campground where the shooting occurred is sometimes called "The Pavilion," but doesn't have an official name.

"It's a very nice place, very well kept up," Morgan said. "We've had some calls up there, fights, reports of shots being fired, but nothing like this before."

Vince Cole is the third person to die from a gunshot related wound in Monroe County this year. Jail records show Joshua Anderson has a minor criminal record, including charges for driving on a suspended license, probation violation and possession of a Schedule VI narcotic.

In light of the recent new legislation that allows people with handgun permits to carry a weapon into a bar if they are not drinking, questions have been raised about whether Anderson had a permit for the gun.

"He doesn't have a permit for the gun as far as we know," Monroe County Sheriff Bill Bivens said.  "Some people have said this shooting happened because of the 'guns in bars' law, but I'm not sure it applies here as he didn't have a permit to start with. And while it might seem obvious alcohol was involved, we don't know yet whether anybody involved was drunk above the legal limit."

michael.thomason@advocateanddemocrat.com | 442-4575