Shooter kills man, then surrenders

Nashville, Tenn., mall cleared, Opry House on lockdown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One 22-year-old man ended a fight with another by fatally shooting him inside a Tennessee mall on Thursday, and then gave up his weapon and surrendered, saying he didn’t want any more trouble, police said.

Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said the shooter put the gun on the counter of a ticket booth across from the Opry Mills Mall, and then was ordered to lie on the ground by a retired California police officer who now lives in Tennessee.

The victim has been identified by police as Demarco Churchwell, who was also 22. The suspected shooter has been identified as Justin Golson, police said. It is not clear if Golson will face charges or if he has a lawyer. He was in police custody and being interviewed by investigators Thursday evening.

The gunfire prompted an outsized response. The mall was evacuated, police officers responded in force, at least a half a dozen ambulances converged on the scene and authorities said the adjacent Grand Ole Opry House and convention center were put on lockdown for a time.

The shooting couldn’t be heard over the battle scenes in a showing of “Avengers: Infinity War,” which was disrupted when officers in riot gear came into the theater and told everyone to leave.

“I’m just thinking Aurora, Colorado,” said Dave O’Brien, a crime and breaking news reporter for the Record-Courier in Kent, Ohio, who was visiting Nashville with his girlfriend to check out CrimeCon, a convention of true crime enthusiasts.

O’Brien said he grabbed his media credentials and then snapped some photos and tweeted them.

“The exits are blocked. Cops everywhere,” O’Brien said. “There’s a command post set up. News trucks and cop cars everywhere, just armed police officers. Their response time was incredibly quick.”