Two suspects arrested after shooting near Tennessee State homecoming left 1 dead, 9 injured

Two suspects were arrested Monday after a shooting that left one person dead and several people injured near Tennessee State University on Saturday.

Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, both 24 years old, were arrested at a short-term rental in Nashville and charged with criminal homicide, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

The two men are suspected of being involved in Saturday's shooting, which took place near the university in Nashville and led to the death of Vonquae Johnson, a 24-year-old man who was also believed to have been involved. Nine people were hospitalized, including two other suspected shooters.

In total, five people are believed to have been involved in the exchange of gunfire, according to police.

"The shooters had no regard for human life and put a crowd of innocent persons, including children, in extreme danger," said Police Chief John Drake in a statement. "The entire criminal justice system must treat violent gun crime with the seriousness it demands with resulting incarceration for those convicted.”

Police respond to the scene of a shooting at Jefferson Street and 27th Avenue N. in Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.
Police respond to the scene of a shooting at Jefferson Street and 27th Avenue N. in Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.

What happened?

On Saturday, after the university's homecoming celebration, gunfire came from two opposing groups around 5:10 p.m.

The shooting started after the homecoming parade.

"We can tell from the shell casings that there were gunshots from one side of the street and then on the other side of the street," police department spokesperson Don Aaron said. "The crowd from earlier in the day had begun to thin out, but the parking lots were still full."

5 suspected shooters

Five people are believed to have been involved in the shooting, said police. One of the suspects, Johnson, was killed. Two other suspects were wounded and taken to the hospital, but both "refused to be interviewed at the hospital," according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Davis, one of the two men who were arrested on Monday, was previously convicted of robbery, felony gun possession and felony drug possession in April, according to Nashville police. He received a 10-year probation and was sentenced to the Community Corrections Program. He was found with a large gun when police arrested him.

Who were the victims?

Of the nine hospitalized, three of them were minors. A 12-year-old girl and two 14-year-old girls received "non-critical" injuries during the shooting.

Police said Monday that none of the victims' injuries were critical.

Contributing: Hadley Hitson, Gabrielle Chenault, Evan Mealins, James Powel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 men arrested, suspected ties to shooting near Tenn. State