As spectators from a Tennessee State University homecoming parade thinned out Saturday, two groups opened fire on one another, killing a man and wounding nine others, including three children, according to Nashville police.
Around 5:10 p.m., after the march was done but while the parking lots were still packed with people, shooting broke out off campus on Jefferson Street, killing a 24-year-old male, according to police.
When the shooting started, a large portion of the crowd had already departed to attend the Tennessee State Tigers vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers game in Nashville, according to authorities.
The victims’ identities and whether any of them were students were not disclosed by the police. They are in a range of circumstances, from minor gunshot wounds to serious injuries.
“We can tell from the shell casings that there were gunshots from one side of the street, and then on the other side of the street,” police spokesman Don Aaron stated.
The three children who were shot, two of whom are 14 years old and one of whom is 12 years old, all have non-critical injuries.
According to Aaron, police are looking into the number of shooters and think at least one hospitalized individual fired gunfire. Aerial police camera footage could provide insight into what happened.
Those who had been shot were also being interviewed by detectives. According to Aaron, police have already interacted with some of the hospitalized individuals. He declared, “We are sure that things are starting to come together.”
According to him, authorities discovered one gun in the street and assume that handguns were used.
When the shooting happened, the throng was starting to thin out from the Saturday morning parade. According to Aaron, Jefferson Street had reopened roughly twenty minutes earlier.
Given the large number of police officers and other public safety personnel staffing the event, he claimed the shooting was particularly unexpected. He claimed that police officers were present everywhere.
According to Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney, some of the firefighters who provided assistance were there purely for fun.
Our personnel recounted to me some moments where they ripped off their belts and did things like use those as tourniquets,” Loney stated.
Freddie O’Connell, the mayor of Nashville, denounced the violence. He claimed that during the homecoming gathering, hundreds of people marched along Jefferson.
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“What was a joyous atmosphere is tonight very different because of a senseless act of violence carried out by people who didn’t care who else might be caught in the crossfire,” he stated on X.
Officials from Tennessee State University reported that a different incident happened at Nissan Stadium when the team’s homecoming football game was in progress.
When “an argument that escalated into a fight” in the parking lot prompted panic, a throng crushed three persons, who were then brought to hospitals.
Gunfire broke out as Jashawna Rucker, a recent high school graduate, was making her way back to her family after the homecoming procession. She initially believed the sounds to be fireworks before realizing they were the result of a shooting.
NBC News: 10 shot, one fatally, after Tennessee State University homecoming parade
