What started with a critically wounded man stumbling into a Hermitage gas station has now led to the arrest of a 37-year-old suspect, Metro Nashville police say. The man was taken into custody last week in connection with an April shooting at a nearby car wash that left the victim fighting for his life. Detectives say it took close review of surveillance footage and an arrest affidavit to piece together what happened across the street, ultimately identifying the suspect on video and in a lineup. He now faces attempted criminal homicide and weapons charges.
Police: Footage Shows Suspect Trailing Victim With Gun
According to WSMV, officers were first called after a wounded man showed up at Thornton’s convenience store on Lebanon Pike. Once on scene, investigators realized the shooting had actually occurred across the street at Hermitage Auto Wash, where they found a spent 9mm casing.
Security footage reviewed by detectives reportedly shows 37-year-old Joshua Ross following the victim with a gun in hand while accompanied by a woman. The arrest affidavit states that at one point on the video, the woman can be seen taking the firearm from Ross. According to that same affidavit, the bullet entered the victim’s right glute and exited through his front thigh before he was rushed to TriStar Skyline Medical Center for emergency surgery.
Where It Happened
The shooting unfolded along Lebanon Pike in Hermitage, a busy commercial stretch east of downtown Nashville that sits near interstate access and a cluster of retail spots. Thornton’s lists a store at 4145 Lebanon Pike, directly across from the car wash often identified as Hermitage Auto Wash at 4154 Lebanon Pike, according to Loc8NearMe. As noted on the Thorntons site, locations like this are surrounded by cameras, which frequently supply crucial video for police investigations.
Arrest And Charges
Metro detectives say they arrested Ross on Friday, July 10, after matching him to the person seen in the surveillance footage and in a subsequent lineup. As reported by WSMV, Ross is charged with attempted criminal homicide and employing a firearm while committing a dangerous felony. His bond was set at $80,000.
Officers also told the outlet that Ross may have outstanding warrants in other counties, a detail that could complicate his path through the legal system as the investigation continues.
Context: Car-Wash Shootings In The Nashville Area
Gunfire breaking out in car-wash lots and adjacent parking areas is, unfortunately, not unheard of in and around Nashville. Federal and local prosecutors have previously pursued cases tied to violent confrontations at similar businesses. A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice press release describes convictions in a separate car-wash shooting that injured a bystander, highlighting how ATF agents and Metro detectives have teamed up on these investigations.
Those prior cases underline a familiar pattern for law enforcement: open-lot shootings often hinge on surveillance video, shell-casing evidence and coordinated federal-local work to secure charges when civilians are caught in the crossfire.
What’s Next
Ross is expected to move through the Davidson County court system, with arraignment and future hearings to be noted in public court records. Updates on the victim’s condition are typically released by hospitals or police only with family approval, and investigators say the case remains active.
Metro Nashville detectives continue to follow leads and are encouraging anyone with video or information from the area around the time of the April shooting to contact the department’s tip lines. In cases like this, officers often rely on community footage and witness statements to fill in the gaps between what the cameras capture and what happened off-screen.
