Thomas Rutledge and his wife
Thomas RutledgeNASHVILLE, Tenn. – Metro police are investigating the fatal shooting of Thomas Rutledge in the J.C. Napier public housing development Monday night.
The shooting happened around 9:25 p.m. on Charles E. Davis Boulevard.
Police said the 22-year-old man and his 4-year-old stepson were riding a mini-four-wheeler outside when an unidentified suspect stepped out from behind the building and started firing a gun.
The man on the four-wheeler was shot and killed on the scene. The boy was not injured. After police arrived on the scene and began investigating, they found it hard to find any witnesses.
"Of course, with it being warm weather and a warm holiday, I'm sure there were a lot of people in the area, but nobody else was hit," said Metro Police Lt. Gary Goodwin. "We don't have a lot of actual persons that we've identified that were actually impacted by it."
Metro police said they do have persons of interest who they want to question. Investigators are still trying to determine a motive.
Police said Rutledge's arrest history reflects 42 offenses since 2007.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME.
