1 dead, 9 injured after shooting near Tennessee State University, authorities say
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gunfire broke out near Tennessee State University following the Nashville school's homecoming celebrations, killing one person and injuring 9 others, authorities said.
Authorities said gunfire came from two opposing groups at around 5:10 p.m. after Tennessee State University's homecoming parade on Saturday. Two of the people injured are suspected of being directly involved in the shooting, but both "refused to be interviewed at the hospital," according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
"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 department spokesperson Don Aaron said. "The crowd from earlier in the day had begun to thin out, but the parking lots were still full."
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Authorities conducted other interviews on the scene and in area hospitals Saturday night.
"We are confident that at least one of the persons who is at a local hospital was involved in the actual gunfire, was shooting, had a gun," Aaron said.
Authorities identified the man who died in the shooting as Vonquae Johnson, 24. After sustaining injuries, Johnson was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died.
Three of the victims are children, one 12-year-old girl and two 14-year-old girls. Aaron said on Saturday night that all three had "non-critical" injuries.
The other six victims are adults, and their cases range in severity from bullet grazes to life-threatening injuries. The most serious of them is a 55-year-old woman who was in critical condition upon arriving at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she underwent surgery Saturday night.
'The innocence in this event was taken away'
Saturday marked the end of homecoming week for Tennessee State University. A parade took place on Jefferson Street — where the shooting occurred — that morning, and the football game kicked off at 5 p.m. several miles away at Nissan Stadium.
The street was closed to vehicles for much of the day but had opened up to traffic about 20 minutes before the shooting took place.
"This type of gun violence has just got to stop," Aaron said. "We would never have expected this to have taken place. There were police officers everywhere as well as firefighters."
Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that NFD employees were on Jefferson Street participating in the community event when the gunfire started and that the employees acted as first responders after the shooting occurred.
"We are upset. We are angry about that disruption,” Loney said. "The innocence in this event was taken away and lives were endangered."
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell posted on X Saturday evening, recalling how he participated with hundreds of others in the parade that morning.
"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 wrote.