Police investigating, making arrests in string of unrelated highway shootings SE of Nashville

Police are investigating a string of unrelated highway shootings southeast of Nashville in the last month. 

So far, four suspects have been arrested, but many are still at large. 

According to News 4 Nashville, in the last month reports of suspects shooting cars and pointing guns at passing drivers has increased in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. While police believe the shootings are all unrelated, they are still working to determine who is responsible. 

The rash of shootings began on March 6th on Interstate 24 when a 19-year-old Rickiya Compton sustained critical injuries in a shooting. Two suspects have since been charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Then on April 19th, someone in a car fired shots at Juan Parada while he was driving on I-24 between I-840 and Almaville Road. That case has yet to be solved. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Detective Richard Brinkley at 615-904-3045.

On Friday, May 7th, the next round of shootings began. One motorist was traveling along Interstate 24 near Smyrna when another driver fired five shots at his car. A witness was able to give a description of the car, and police stopped the suspect and took them into custody. 24-year-old Caleb Trent Hancock has since been charged with attempted first-degree murder, with pending charges for endangering other motorists. He is being held on $250,000 bond. 

On Saturday, May 8th, a woman called police after she believed someone fired a gun at her vehicle and shattered a window on Interstate 840  near Sulphur Springs Road. The incident left the woman with minor cuts on the side of her face. Police later confirmed that the vehicle was shot at least three times. Anyone with information on the case should call Detective Ty Downing at 615-904-3022.

On Monday, May 10th, a trucker contacted police to report another driver pointing a handgun at him on Interstate 24 near Buchanan Road. Police investigated and 38-year-old Brian Ferguson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and released on $11,000 bond. He will appear in court in September.

Despite the influx in shootings, police believe they are all unrelated. 

“At this time, we don’t see a definitive connection, but we are still examining the evidence from each case,” Rutherford County Sheriff Detective Capt. Britt Reed said in a news release.