He Says He Turned Down a Cocaine Request Inside a Hookah Lounge. Later, the Same Man Tried to Rob Him at Gunpoint in the Parking Lot.

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NASHVILLE, TN — A 31-year-old man told police he shot a 35-year-old man in the head early Sunday morning after the man, armed with a gun, tried to rob him in the parking lot of an Antioch strip mall. Metro Nashville Police are investigating his self-defense claim, and no charges have been filed.

The details come from MNPD’s account of the investigation, as reported by WSMV.

The shooting happened around 5:20 a.m. at a strip business center in the 300 block of Bell Road. According to MNPD, the 31-year-old admitted to the shooting. He told police the two men had crossed paths earlier that night inside a hookah lounge, where the 35-year-old asked to buy cocaine.

“The 31-year-old said he told the man he didn’t use narcotics and left,” MNPD said.

By his account, the encounter picked back up in the parking lot. He says the 35-year-old was armed with a gun and trying to rob him. He shot the man in the head. Then he drove away.

Turning down a stranger and walking out was the right call. A strange interaction inside does not end at the door, though. The walk to the car is where awareness has to stay switched on, and if his account holds, that is where this one caught up with him.

Officers stopped him on Bell Road about three minutes from the scene. He told police he was heading back to meet officers when he was pulled over. He later told police he left out of fear for his safety.

Driving away after a shooting leaves the shooter explaining why he left, and his account to police now includes two explanations. Staying next to a wounded man in a dark parking lot is not always safe, and nobody is obligated to stand in danger. If you have to move to get safe, move a short distance and call 911 yourself. Tell the dispatcher where you are and that you were the one attacked, then wait for officers. Being the person who reports it is part of the self-defense mindset, not an afterthought.

Police recovered two guns during the investigation. One was found at the scene, and the other was in the 31-year-old’s car. Police have not said whose gun was found at the scene.

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The 35-year-old remains hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center with what police described as a “very critical head wound.” Neither man has been named.

Everything about the attempted robbery comes from the 31-year-old’s own account to police. MNPD is still investigating that claim. No charges have been filed and no self-defense determination has been announced.

Read the original story: He Says He Turned Down a Cocaine Request Inside a Hookah Lounge. Later, the Same Man Tried to Rob Him at Gunpoint in the Parking Lot.