1 dead, 9 injured after an exchange of gunfire near TSU homecoming

Back-and-forth gunfire broke out near Tennessee State University’s homecoming celebration as it was winding down Saturday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Public Information Officer Don Aaron confirmed 24-year-old Vonquae Johnson is dead and a 55-year-old woman is in critical condition, undergoing surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as of 10 p.m. Saturday.

“We are upset. We are angry about that disruption,” said Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney. “We are angry that there were persons whose days were disrupted, that the innocence in this event was taken away and that lives were endangered.”

There haven’t been many details released about the nature of the shooting, but during an update around 8 p.m. Saturday, a reporter asked whether the shooters were in a gang conflict.

“There’s no indication of any gang relation,” Aaron said. “It was two groups of people who were beefing, and they opened fire on each other with a crowd around.”

He said there were 10 victims total, including the man who died, as well as a 12-year-old and two 14-year-olds.

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported early on, by the media or law enforcement, could later turn out to be wrong. WPLN News will have updates as the situation develops.

This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.