A pre-dawn police raid on a South Nashville apartment ended in tragedy Tuesday when a 29-year-old man fatally shot himself as officers carried out a search warrant tied to a March motel homicide investigation.
Metro Nashville officers had been attempting to serve the warrant at an apartment on Tampa Drive when, according to police, repeated loudspeaker announcements drew no response. Officers then forced their way inside. The man, later identified through fingerprints as Brandon Surji, who also went by Brandon Hunter, died at the scene. Detectives had wanted to question him about a March shooting at a local motel parking lot.
What officers say happened inside the apartment
Police report that officers entered the unit at about 5:30 a.m. and ultimately found Surji armed in a bedroom closet. They say he ignored commands to drop his weapon and then shot himself in the head after a police dog was released to assist. During the search, authorities say they recovered an AK-47, various firearm parts, and what they described as more than a pound each of methamphetamine and marijuana. Homicide Unit detectives had sought to interview Surji in the March 31 killing of 33-year-old Donzell Young Jr., and police say that investigation remains active, according to FOX17.
Link to the March motel killing
Young was found shot to death in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn on Briley Parkway on March 31, and Metro homicide detectives have been reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence in that case. The Metro Nashville Police Department identified Young as the victim and reported that a 28-year-old woman was arrested on an evidence-tampering charge after admitting she removed the victim’s belongings from a motel room. As detailed by the Metro Nashville Police Department, detectives are still working the case.
Identification and where the case stands now
According to officials, Surji’s identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis, and investigators are now processing the weapons, firearm parts, and suspected drugs recovered at the Tampa Drive apartment. With the man they had hoped to question now deceased, detectives say they will continue tracking leads, scrutinizing the seized evidence, and looking for any additional suspects or witnesses. Police told FOX17 that both the search-warrant incident and the March homicide investigation remain open.
How the public can assist
The Metro Nashville Police Department is asking anyone with information about the March 31 shooting outside the Rodeway Inn to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Investigators have not released the apartment’s full address or said whether they expect additional arrests as the work continues. Background information on the March homicide and the department’s ongoing efforts is available from the Metro Nashville Police Department.
