NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Police revealed Friday afternoon the identity of a suspect who allegedly stabbed and killed a woman in south Nashville.
Nashville police arrested Roy Lomax Gardner, of Florida, for allegedly attacking and stabbing a woman in the face at 5:15 a.m. after they sat on a bus bench together on Harding Place at Antioch Pike. Police said surveillance video showed they both rose as the bus began to approach and that Gardner attacked the woman unprovoked.
A bus operator witnessed the incident happening and stopped the bus, according to WeGo. Police said they were able to arrest the suspect because those in an adjacent parking lot heard the woman's scream and held Gardner until officers arrived.
The WeGo bus was not involved in the incident itself.
"WeGo management and staff are saddened by today’s tragic incident at a Harding Place bus stop," WeGo officials said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the victim. We are assisting the MNPD in its continuing investigation and emphasize that the safety of our passengers and employees is paramount."
Gardner was injured when witnesses subdued him until officers arrived, police said. He was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Authorities will charge him with criminal homicide upon his release from the hospital.
Police said Gardner had criminal records in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. They said they weren't sure when he came to Tennessee.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at kelly.broderick@newschannel5.com.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom