2 suspects arrested in mass shooting near Tennessee State University homecoming event

"The shooters had no regard for human life," police chief said.

October 15, 2024, 12:23 PM

Two suspects have been arrested in a mass shooting that left one person dead and nine injured near a Tennessee State University homecoming football game event over the weekend, including one alleged shooter who was carrying a high-powered assault-type rifle when he was caught, authorities said.

Both men were arrested on charges of murder, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

The suspects in the shooting near the Nashville, Tennessee, college were identified as Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, both 24 years old, according to police, which released photos of the pair following their arrests.

Nashville police officers investigate a mass shooting that left one man dead and nine people injured near a Tennessee State University homecoming event on Oct. 12, 2024.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

Davis and Brown were taken into custody Monday night at a short-term rental property close to where Saturday's shooting erupted, according to police. Davis was allegedly carrying an assault-style rifle with a loaded extended magazine at the time of his arrest, authorities said.

In April, Davis was convicted of robbery, felony gun possession and felony drug possession charges, according to police. He received a 10-year probated sentence to the Community Corrections Program, according to the Nashville police.

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

Nashville police released this image of an assault-style rifle one of the suspects was allegedly carrying at the time of his arrest on Oct. 14, 2024.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

The shooting unfolded around 5 p.m. local time at an off-campus homecoming celebration event, several blocks east of the Tennessee State campus.

The shooting left a 24-year-old man dead, police said. Of the nine people injured, three were juveniles ranging in age from 12-14 years old, police said.

An exchange of gunfire erupted between two groups of people, according to police.

Marquez Davis, 24, one of two suspects in a mass shooting that erupted near a Tennessee State University homecoming football game event, pictured here in the back of a police car following his arrest on Oct. 14, 2024.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department
DeAnthony Brown, 24, one of two suspects in a mass shooting that erupted near a Tennessee State University homecoming football game event, pictured here in the back of a police car following his arrest on Oct. 14, 2024.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

Five victims were taken to local hospitals via ambulance. Five others were transported by private vehicle, according to police.

Officials believe that some of those injured and hospitalized are suspected of being involved in the gunfire, but most were innocent bystanders, police said.

Injuries range from minor to critical, with some victims sustaining graze wounds, according to police.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, officials said.

The investigation is ongoing and police said more arrests are expected.

The shooting broke out about an hour before the kickoff of the homecoming game between Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois University at Nashville's Nissan Stadium, several miles from the university.

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