An argument between a patron and two employees over the speed of service at an oil change shop escalated to a physical fight and ultimately ended in gunfire killing one man and injuring another.
Metro Nashville police were called to the scene on Bell Road about 5 p.m. Wednesday to investigate what would become a self-defense claim.
The man killed, who has yet to be identified, drove his Chrysler 300 to the shop and asked for air to be put in one of the tires, police said in a statment Thursday morning.
“He became agistated at the lack of immediate service, retrieved the air compressor hose, and began filling up his own tire,” police said.
A 22-year-old employee told the driver he couldn’t do that and took the hose back, according to police. An argument broke out between the two men and the 32-year-old manager stepped in telling the patron to leave.
The man then punched the younger employee in the face who in turn pushed the patron, police said. The manager tried to stop the fight, and when he was unsuccessful went to his vehicle in the parking lot and grabbed his pistol, according to police.
The 22-year-old reportedly pushed the man into the seat of his Chrysler and started walking away.
“The man then grabbed a pistol from the rear passenger floorboard, stood up behind the open driver’s door, and fired several rounds,” police said.
The manager returned fire, striking the man in the head, police said. He died at the scene.
The younger employee was injured in the arm and hip. He was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, police said.
After the shooting, an unknown man entered the shop, took the patron’s pistol and fled the scene, according to police.
The manager cooperated with police and was released following the interview with detectives. No charges have been filed against him, police said.
