A 16-year-old has been taken into custody in Nashville, charged with shooting a valet employee in what appears to be a road rage incident early this month outside the Virgin Hotel on Music Square West. According to a statement released by Nashville Police Department, the altercation that led to the wounding took place December 5, when the employee, a 26-year-old man, was assisting a hotel patron with their vehicle and was subsequently confronted by the driver of a Kia Optima.
The dispute escalated quickly, leading to the suspect discharging a firearm, striking the victim in the thigh, the confrontation between the valet and the shooter coming after the latter accused the former of obstructing traffic, the ensuing brief exchange of words ended in violence as the young aggressor drew a pistol and shot the victim. Midtown Hills Precinct Officer Drew Chouanard drew connections between the suspected vehicle and a separate incident involving porch pirate package theft, this information ultimately contributing to the arrest of the teenager late Tuesday at an apartment complex in North Nashville.
Investigators found a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine in the suspect's backpack, a match to the weapon description from the shooting; the firearm had been reported as stolen during a November 2022 vehicle burglary on 4th Avenue South. The adolescent now faces a slew of charges in Juvenile Court, including attempted criminal homicide, reckless endangerment, possession of a gun during a felony, illegal gun possession by a minor, theft of a firearm, and vandalism.
