Police continue search for Nashville shooting suspect who has extensive criminal history
The suspect police in Nashville are searching for in connection to a fatal shooting at a restaurant on Easter was out on bond for other charges at time of the incident, court records show.
Metro Nashville Police Department announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter on Sunday that they were searching for Anton Rucker, 46, in connection to the shooting at Roasted in the Salemtown neighborhood that left one person dead, and seven others injured.
Police said Rucker was a convicted felon with previous convictions for aggravated assault. He also had been arrested on felony drug charges and gun charges, Nashville police said.
According to online court records, Rucker was out on a combined $50,000 bond after being arrested on multiple charges in Rutherford County late last year. In August, Rucker was charged with aggravated assault and possessing a gun as a felon He was also charged with three felony drug charges in October.
Rucker's criminal record dates back to 1995 and includes multiple aggravated assault charges and an attempted murder indictment, records show.
MNPD spokesman Don Aaron said first responders received calls about the shooting at around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Aaron said two men got into an argument during brunch, and one pulled out a gun, according to the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Rucker placed on state's 'Most Wanted List'
The suspect, later identified as Rucker, fled in a Mercedes GLS 450 after firing multiple shots. On Monday, police said they recovered Rucker's car overnight. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations added him to the state's most wanted list on Monday, and offered a $25,000 reward.
Officials warned that Rucker should be considered armed and dangerous.
Shooting leaves 1 dead, 7 injured
The person who was killed was believed to be the other man involved in the altercation. Police identified him as 33-year-old Allen Beachem.
Investigators are working to determine what sparked the argument. Salemtown Roasted had surveillance footage that showed Rucker arriving only moments before the deadly incident.
“We don't have any indication that they knew each other at this point,” Aaron said on Sunday. “It could be something as simple as one person invading another person's space.”
Five other people were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Aaron said.
He added that a sixth person suffered a graze wound, but it was unclear whether the wound was caused by a scratch or a bullet. The seventh victim, a pregnant woman, was taken to a hospital after having a panic attack, he said.