Nashville Music City Central shooting injures 4 teens, 1 critically

A shooting at the Music City Central bus station injured four teenagers and sent hundreds running and ducking for cover during a busy Monday afternoon rush at the downtown transit hub.

The shooting is the latest in a string of violence involving young people in Nashville, and prompted Mayor Megan Barry to decry what she called the "plague of gun violence in our society." Additional Metro police officers will patrol the bus station for the foreseeable future, but service disruptions are not expected.

"As a clearer picture of the shooting today comes into view, I will be meeting with Police and MTA officials to see what we can do better to improve security at Music City Central and prevent incidents like this in the future," said Barry in an emailed statement.

Shots rang out at about 3:30 p.m. at the bus station and four teens were hit, including 18-year-old Javious Chatman who was critically injured, said Don Aaron, Metro police spokesman. Two 16-year-olds, Nathaniel Webb and Jonathan Stoner, and 17-year-old Jalen Jeffries also suffered minor injuries. All four victims were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

Metro police are questioning two 17-year-old boys. The shooting is not believed to be a random event, according to police, as surveillance video shows the suspects riding up and down the escalators as if they were looking for someone. Police are not releasing the footage, but Aaron said the bus station video is helping piece together what happened.

“For now we have a number of leads that are being pursued,” Aaron said.

The bus station is on Charlotte Avenue next to Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville's Central Business District. It serves up to 20,000 passengers each weekday, including more than 4,000 young people who use it to transfer buses. Many Metro students use MTA bus passes to get to and from schools.

Students from Meigs Middle Magnet School were at the station when the shooting happened. None were injured, but students may have witnessed the shooting, according to a note from Principal Samuel Underwood to parents obtained by The Tennessean. Teachers will talk to students Tuesday morning, and additional support will be offered to those who need it.

The shooting caused detours at the station, but passengers were still able to board buses on Fifth Avenue North, said Patricia Harris-Morehead, MTA spokeswoman. The station was expected to reopen once Metro police concluded their investigation at the scene.

"We work in partnership with the police department," Harris-Morehead said.

MTA security and extra-duty Metro police officers are in the facility daily to ensure safety, police said. Two police officers, along with at least two former officers working in a security capacity, were at Music City Central at the time of the shooting. Aaron said shootings are "extremely rare" at the bus station.

"The Central Precinct's flex units will have a strong presence here at the bus station. That will start in early morning, the peak time when students are coming here to transfer to various buses to go to school. There will also be a significant flex unit presence here (Tuesday) afternoon," Aaron said. "We are committed to keeping the peace here."

State Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, said he was walking with a group of people on nearby Deaderick Street when he heard the sound of gunshots. He said he looked toward Music City Central and saw more than 150 middle and high school-age students streaming out of the building.

“It was the biggest possible nightmare,” Stewart said. “Just a whole bus station full of children. It was crazy."

Video surveillance showed Chatman riding an escalator to the upper level of the bus station at about 3:30 p.m., Aaron said. He milled about near the exit of the escalator, talking to someone. About 30 seconds passed and a crowd of people scattered when gunshots went off, Aaron said.

Chatman was shot in the abdomen and suffered the most serious injuries. Police think the three other victims were injured by stray rounds.

A window washer working nearby led police to two 17-year-old suspects. The window washer watched as the two boys ran from the bus station and saw one of them toss a semi-automatic pistol into the shrubs on the side of John Sevier State Office Building, Aaron said. Police recovered the weapon but have not confirmed if it was the gun used in the shooting.

“The window washer saw all of this. About that time, police officers responded and the window washer yelled from his perch, ‘Stop them! Stop them!’ ” Aaron said.

Police have not ruled out whether the shooting was gang-related, and the police department's gang unit has been involved in the investigation along with Central Precinct detectives, Aaron said.

Reporter Joey Garrison contributed to this report. 

Reach Holly Meyer at 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer, and reach Holly Fletcher at 615-259-8287 or on Twitter @hollyfletcher.