A deadly shooting in Nashville's bustling Midtown has claimed the life of one man and left another wounded, shattering the predawn calm on a weekend morning. Metro Nashville Police Department reported that 32-year-old Christopher Cheeks was fatally shot and a 29-year-old man sustained injuries in an alley situated between Hayes and Church streets. The violence erupted around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to WKRN.
Detectives are chasing down "strong, active leads" after the shooting that prematurely ended a life and marred the small hours of the weekend. The investigation is centered on Cheeks, who was seemingly enjoying an evening with friends when the group's camaraderie was abruptly disrupted by three unidentified men. According to a statement obtained by WSMV, the 29-year-old, who was injured during the incident, recalled, "hanging out cordially for some time before the three suspects attempted to rob his group of friends."
The survivors of the incident are left grappling with the swift transition from a night of friendly interaction to an abrupt and violent encounter, which police believe spiraled into robbery and then escalated into gunfire. In the wake of the attack, a parking garage on Hayes Street became a crime scene, where Cheeks was found before his subsequent death at a local hospital, as FOX 17 reported. Meanwhile, the second gunshot victim was discovered on Church Street, now receiving treatment and recounting the harrowing events to the authorities.
As the city awakened to news of the shooting, the gravity of the event weighed heavily on a community all too familiar with the specter of gun violence. Police have not released descriptions of the suspects or detailed the sequence of events leading up to the deadly encounter. The man who survived the ordeal told WSMV that, "shots were fired and everyone scattered," amplifying the chaos that followed the attempted robbery. Metro Nashville's Homicide Unit is urging anyone with information to come forward as they work to piece together the fragments of a night that ended in tragedy.
