NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An Easter Sunday shooting in a Salemtown coffee shop reportedly left one person dead and at least five others injured.
According to officials, the shooting was reported just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 31 at Roasted in the 600 block of Garfield Street, which is near Germantown.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, one man was shot and killed; five other gunshot victims ended up with non-critical injuries; one person was brought to the hospital with a possible graze wound that was described as a scratch, which could have been sustained by brushing up against a piece of sharp furniture; and a pregnant woman had a panic attack and wanted to go to the hospital to be checked out, even though she was not wounded. In other words, a total of eight people were brought to at least three different hospitals following the shooting, including the man who died.
Authorities said the gunman opened fire with a pistol during Sunday brunch at Roasted and then left the scene in a Mercedes GLS 450, as seen in the photographs shared by MNPD:
“This was not a shootout, if you will,” stated Don Aaron, a public information officer for MNPD. “This was one person who decided to pull a gun based on an altercation occurring with another man, and then he fired multiple shots, resulting in the injuries I’ve just described.”
According to police, minutes after the suspect arrived at the coffee shop, he and another man — who is believed to be the man who died — got into an argument that “significantly escalated within moments.” However, there is no indication at this time that the two men knew each other.
Authorities said the gunman arrived at Roasted with a female, who left with him after the shooting.
While the motive for the shooting remains unknown, but “it could be something as simple as one person invading another person’s space,” Aaron said.
MNPD Cmdr. Anthony McClain said the coffee shop changed ownership in the last year or so, but before this, law enforcement hasn’t had any significant issues at Roasted. He added that he was surprised to see an incident like this in the Salemtown area, especially on Easter Sunday.
According to McClain, surveillance footage shows “mass chaos” following the shooting, with a lot of people panicking as they tried to get out of the shop and escape the gunfire while some people tried to resist the suspect.
Members of MNPD’s Homicide Unit are reportedly leading the investigation, with assistance from detectives with the TITANS Unit of the Specialized Investigations Division — which specializes in finding individuals responsible for gunfire in neighborhoods — as they work to identify and apprehend the gunman.
If you see the suspect — who police said they are “almost certain” they have identified — or the vehicle photographed above, you are asked to call MNPD at 615-862-8600.
