1 dead following shooting on I-24W, Metro police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A shooting on a busy interstate near downtown Nashville has been declared fatal after the incident shut down a section of Interstate 24 West on Sunday afternoon.

In a release from the Metro Nashville Police Department on Monday, the victim was identified as 20-year-old De’Angelo Black of Nashville.

Authorities reported that Black was a passenger of a Saturn Ion sedan that was "fired on by another vehicle" near the Silliman Evans Bridge after the Saturn's four occupants had an encounter with individuals in another vehicle at a North Nashville gas station.

The passengers reportedly told police the car followed them onto the interstate and fired shots as they entered I-24 W from I-40.

The driver of the Saturn then drove onto the exit ramp at Shelby Avenue and received help from an officer on traffic assignment nearby, according to MNPD.

Black was seated in the backseat of the vehicle and the only one struck by the gunfire, according to police. He was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and later pronounced deceased.

MNPD said the vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident was located at a North Nashville apartment complex overnight. No additional details have been released about this incident as the investigation continues.

According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) SmartWay traffic map, the westbound exit ramp was initially blocked off at Exit 49 (Korean Veterans Boulevard/Shelby Avenue) on I-24 due to "police activity" reported at 2:37 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8.

TDOT posted on social media platform X at 3:22 p.m. that the I-24 West downtown loop was closed due to "police activity." Diversion routes were in place at Exit 211A on I-40 West and Exit 211B on I-40 East.

Then, at 3:42 p.m., the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced the westbound lanes of I-24 near the Shelby Avenue exit were closed due to an investigation into a shooting, which sent one person to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with serious injuries.

TDOT's SmartWay map showed significant backups and closures on the interstates surrounding the central part of Nashville in the aftermath of the shooting, so motorists were asked to seek alternate routes.

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At 4:07 p.m., TDOT posted I-24 West was back open, but the Shelby Avenue exit was still closed. It has since reopened, based on the SmartWay map.

If you know anything about Sunday's shooting, you're asked to call Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.