NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The manhunt continues Monday morning for an alleged gunman who entered a Nashville restaurant throughout Sunday brunch on Easter and opened fireplace, killing a person and injuring 5 others.
The Metro Nashville Police Division says 46-year-old felon Anton Rucker stays on the run after the taking pictures that terrified clients inside Roasted on Garfield Avenue in Salemtown, a neighborhood situated northwest of downtown Nashville. Rucker is needed for murder in connection to the lethal taking pictures, by which 33-year-old Allen Beachem was killed and 5 others have been shot. Police identified in social media posts that Rucker has a prolonged prison document.
Police mentioned he was arrested in Murfreesboro on felony drug prices in October and aggravated assault prices final August.
In 2009, Rucker confronted greater than a dozen counts of aggravated assault however was convicted on no less than three counts, in response to court docket data. These prices stemmed from a Could 2008 incident in Nashville, the place Rucker opened fireplace after stepping into an argument with two girls, in response to an affidavit obtained by WSMV4. He retrieved a gun from his automotive and commenced taking pictures, police mentioned. The sufferer, who was not one of many girls he was arguing with, was taken to Vanderbilt College Medical Heart in essential situation.
He was sentenced to about eight years in jail, however court docket data present he didn’t serve all eight years. In 2014, Rucker was again in hassle.
An affidavit says on Could 3, 2014, Rucker was stopped by police for a site visitors violation. Police mentioned they smelled marijuana and informed Rucker to get out of the automotive, however he sped off, practically hitting the officer who initiated the site visitors cease. He was initially charged with aggravated assault on a police officer however later convicted of the lesser cost of assault in November 2014.
Whereas protecting violent offenders off the road has been a purported precedence for Nashville lawmakers and authorities, substantial laws to fight this has solely been directed at those that have been deemed incompetent to face trial. That laws got here after the taking pictures and killing of Belmont scholar Jillian Ludwig. Months earlier than the 18-year-old was killed, her suspected killer was launched from custody after three docs deemed him incompetent to face trial.
The Tennessee Normal Meeting is anticipated to move a regulation to fight this loophole.
However how is Tennessee working to maintain violent offenders with a behavior of recidivism off the streets? Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell mentioned after the taking pictures on Sunday that Nashville “should do the whole lot on the native degree to restrict the chance and affect of gun violence.”
“We’re persevering with to extend police capability, put money into group security, and dealing to make sure dispossession of those that shouldn’t legally possess firearms,” O’Connell mentioned.
As a felon, Rucker possessed the weapon he used within the Easter taking pictures illegally. Police proceed to search for him. He allegedly fled the scene in a Mercedes GLS 450.
“Tragically, Easter was disrupted by gun violence in my neighborhood at one in all our fantastic small companies,” O’Connell tweeted. “My coronary heart goes out to those that had their vacation disrupted by gun violence.”
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