A 56-year-old store employee was shot and killed during an armed robbery at a Jackson liquor store Thursday night, and the masked gunman who pulled the trigger remains on the loose. Suresh Patel died after being struck by multiple shots fired inside Ridgecrest Cellars, a licensed retail package store on Ridgecrest Road, during what police describe as a robbery that turned deadly in seconds.
According to the City of Jackson, TN - Police Department, officers responded to a robbery and shooting call at Ridgecrest Cellars, located at 2880 Ridgecrest Road, on Thursday. Investigators say an unidentified suspect entered the business wearing a paintball-style mask, a gray hoodie, jeans, and black work-style boots before brandishing a weapon and demanding cash from employees. Patel was found deceased at the scene after the suspect took money and fled in a white sedan.
Suspect Still at Large After Fleeing Scene
Police have not identified the shooter, who is described only by the clothing witnesses reported: a gray hoodie, jeans, black work-style boots, and the paintball-style mask concealing his face. The department's account, relayed through its Facebook post, indicates the gunman fired multiple shots inside the store before escaping in the white sedan, leaving investigators to piece together the case from surveillance footage and witness statements.
The Jackson Police Department is asking anyone with information to call 731-425-8400. Tipsters who prefer to stay anonymous can instead reach Crime Stoppers at 731-424-8477, since callers to that line may remain unidentified.
Legal Exposure Once a Suspect Is Named
Whoever is eventually charged in Patel's death faces some of the most severe penalties available under Tennessee law. A killing that occurs during an armed robbery qualifies as first-degree felony murder under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-202, according to Justia Law, meaning prosecutors would not need to prove premeditation — only that the killing happened in the course of the robbery. Conviction on that charge can carry a sentence of death, life without parole, or life imprisonment.
The underlying robbery itself is classified separately under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-402, which defines aggravated robbery as a Class B felony punishable by 8 to 30 years in prison when a deadly weapon is used or the victim suffers serious injury, per FindLaw. State law also limits how soon an offender convicted of aggravated robbery after January 1, 2008 can be considered for parole, requiring a mandatory minimum amount of time served before release eligibility.
A City Already Grappling With Violent Crime
The shooting adds to a string of violent incidents Jackson police have investigated in recent months, including a fatal shooting on East College Street near Lane College earlier this month that left an adult man and woman dead on a front porch, as Hoodline previously reported. The city has also seen a high-speed pursuit that ended in a shootout on Whitehall Street in May, after which the suspect was booked into the Madison County Criminal Justice Complex — the same facility where anyone arrested in Patel's killing would ultimately be held.
The numbers underline why armed robberies like this one draw such scrutiny in Jackson. FBI data analyzed by OpenCrime shows the city recorded a violent crime rate of 950.4 per 100,000 residents in 2024, more than 2.5 times the national average, including 17 homicides and 68 robberies that year. That local rate stands in contrast to a broader national trend: preliminary FBI data released in May 2026 found an estimated 9.3 percent decline in overall violent crime and an 18.5 percent drop in robberies nationwide from 2024 to 2025.
Retail workers in Jackson have faced fatal violence before. A store clerk at DS Food Mart on Rose Street previously shot and killed an armed robber during a late-night hold-up, an incident relayed by local media citing police accounts, underscoring the recurring danger faced by employees working late shifts at the city's retail businesses.
The Jackson Police Department, led by Chief Thom Corley, a 35-year department veteran and licensed attorney who took office in January 2022, continues to investigate Patel's death. No arrests have been announced, and the suspect's identity remains unknown as police continue urging the public to come forward with any information that could help locate the man in the white sedan.
