One person was killed and five others wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in Nashville, according to police.
The suspect in the shooting, Anton Rucker, was still on the loose Monday as authorities scoured the region in search of him.
Rucker, 46, was wanted in the killing of Allen Beachem, 33, at Roasted Salemtown restaurant in Nashville.
According to police, Rucker walked into the restaurant alongside a woman around 3 p.m., as patrons were eating Easter brunch. Rucker and Beachem got into an argument, which “significantly escalated within moments,” Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said.
“We don’t have any indication that they knew each other at this point,” Aaron said, according to the Nashville Tennessean. “It could be something as simple as one person invading another person’s space.”
The argument ended when Rucker pulled a gun and fatally shot Beachem, cops said. Five other people suffered non-life-threatening bullet wounds, according to police.
“Some people did try to resist the gunman,” Nashville police officer Anthony McClain said. “It was just mass chaos.”
A sixth person suffered a graze wound, and a pregnant woman was hospitalized after a panic attack, authorities said. It was unclear if the sixth person was scratched or actually grazed by a bullet.
BREAKING: Detectives are working to determine the motive for this gunman opening fire during Sunday brunch at Roasted on Garfield St. 1 man killed, several others hurt, non-critically. Shooting occurred at 3 p.m. Gunman fled in this Mercedes GLS 450. Know him? 615-862-8600. pic.twitter.com/bwJrCjwmhf
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 31, 2024
Rucker and the woman fled the scene in a Mercedes GLS 450, which was discovered overnight about two miles west of the crime scene, Nashville police said. The vehicle was empty when it was located.
Cops shared photos of Rucker and the shooting scene on social media. Rucker has an extensive criminal history, according to police. He was convicted of aggravated assault in August 2023 and on felony drug charges in October 2023, Nashville police said.
With News Wire Services
