Tensions are high in the Colemont-area of Nashville, where an overnight shooting has resulted in the deaths of three Hispanic men on Bart Drive, according to reports obtained by FOX17. Metro Nashville Police responded to the scene shortly after 11 p.m. Friday and found one victim on the porch and two others inside the residence; their identities have not yet been released.
An additional victim, an innocent bystander on a bicycle, sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the hip he's currently being treated at a local hospital, police detailed incidents of gunfire are not uncommon in the area, with neighbors expressing a grim familiarity with the sound of shots and the need to find cover, as revealed in a statement to WSMV.
Surveillance footage from the neighborhood captured the arrival of a white Honda sedan with a Georgia temporary tag, driven by a female, who police say left the scene following the incident, as informed by the Metro Nashville Police Department. Another witness described seeing approximately six individuals running across the street and hastily leaving in vehicles after the shooting occurred, a chilling account of the moments that followed the deadly exchange according to an interview with WSMV.
While police urge the female who fled the scene to come forward as they look to piece together the events of the night, a spokesperson for the MNPD, Don Aaron, emphasized the need for her testimony, stating "We want to comfort her, we want to provide protection, and we want to understand from her what took place," police also hope to speak with the injured cyclist when he is able, attempting to gather more information on the crime, NewsChannel5 reports.
Residents of the area have noted a change in the atmosphere of their once peaceful neighborhood, where a few weeks prior, the quiet was replaced by this outbreak of violence; police continue their search for the suspects who remain at large while the community struggles to cope with the shock of the tragedy, as per accounts given to WSMV.