John Allen, 19, faces felony charges after police say he fired multiple shots near a crowded basketball court in Nashville’s Edgehill neighborhood. The arrest-affidavit account describes Allen’s explanation for firing and the evidence investigators used to identify him; police say he later admitted firing the shots.
The arrest affidavit, as described by WSMV, says Metro Nashville police officers heard gunfire near DeFord Bailey Avenue and 14th Avenue South and saw two possible suspects run. One was caught with a firearm. Witness accounts and surveillance footage later helped investigators identify Allen as the person they believed fired the shots.
According to the affidavit, Allen told investigators he fired at a man he thought was about to shoot him. Allen said the man had raised a gun and was “trying to start a problem.” He admitted firing several shots, then said he stopped after seeing a woman walking close to where he was shooting.
The firearm and arrest, according to police
Police say Allen threw an AR-style pistol into a nearby bush before trying to leave in a red car with his girlfriend. An officer stopped the car and took Allen into custody without further incident. Police say the recovered pistol had been reported stolen.
Allen faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment, evading arrest and firearm theft. He is being held on a $40,000 bond. The cited Tennessee General Assembly document is a redline and does not by itself establish the current statutory classification of the charge.
A Neighborhood Already on Edge
The shooting adds to a string of gun violence reports out of Edgehill this fall. In a separate case, Metro police arrested 43-year-old Antiwane Smith in connection with an Oct. 11 shooting that injured a 49-year-old man along the 1100 block of DeFord Bailey Avenue, according to WKRN. Investigators said surveillance video in that case showed the suspect armed with a pistol slowly approaching the area where the victim was shot.
Hoodline previously reported on a man shot on his own Edgehill porch while sitting outside, and on an earlier, unrelated shooting on July 10, 2023, also in the 1100 block of DeFord Bailey Avenue, in which the victim reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Citywide, the picture is mixed. Metro Nashville police logged 3,155 violent offenses and 11,531 property offenses in the first half of 2026, even as calls for service dropped to 86,003 from 90,328 over the same period in 2025, per Hoodline's earlier reporting. The mayor's office has reported that nonfatal shootings fell 20% compared with the first half of 2025, as reported by FOX 17 Nashville. The Metro Nashville Police Department also maintains a firearms data dashboard tracking fatal and nonfatal gunshot injuries alongside stolen and recovered weapons citywide.
Edgehill’s history and planning
Metro Nashville’s Planning Department describes Edgehill as a historically African American neighborhood that experienced substantial change during urban renewal and has seen redevelopment in recent years. The Metro Planning Commission adopted a community-informed Edgehill Neighborhood Plan on Aug. 22, 2024, to guide development over the next 20 years, according to the Planning Department.
What local data and planning documents show
The Metro Nashville Police Department firearms dashboard allows listed gun-related statistics to be summarized by police precinct, ZIP code or Metro Council district. The information cited here does not provide a reporting period or Edgehill-specific figures, so it does not establish a distinct pattern of gunshot injuries or stolen and recovered firearms in the neighborhood.
The adopted Edgehill plan’s recommendations focus on preserving the neighborhood’s historic and mixed-income character, guiding mixed-use development along major corridors and connecting open spaces. Those stated priorities describe the plan’s development goals; they do not, on the information cited here, specify violence-prevention measures.
Court records for Allen's case can be searched through the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk, whose public case search reflects filed documents and docket entries required to be kept as public record.
