1 dead, 1 injured in West End Cook Out shooting

Shots rang out inside a crowded Cook Out restaurant in Midtown Nashville early Sunday morning, as a gunman targeted two Memphis-area men for reasons police are still investigating.

Police said the man opened fire in the restaurant, causing screaming patrons to spill out the doors and onto the sidewalks. When one of the man's intended victims tried to escape, the gunman ran him down and shot him to death in a nearby alley

Ryan Weaver, 19, of Cordova, was one of the gunman's targets and was critically injured in the shooting, police said. The authorities said the gunman fatally shot 25-year-old Murray Gross of Memphis.

"Gross initially went to his Altima, which was running and parked in a handicapped spot in the restaurant lot," police said in a news release Sunday afternoon. "The gunman fired at Gross, who apparently was not able to get inside the vehicle. Three bullets struck the car. With the gunman in pursuit, Gross then ran through the alley behind the restaurant to 18th Avenue, where additional shots were fired. Gross was hit and died in the street."

According to Metro police, Weaver was wanted on aggravated robbery, aggravated trespassing and evading arrest charges in connection with an incident at TSU on Jan. 30.

Police said Weaver and Gross arrived at the restaurant together with at least one other man in Gross' white Nissan Altima.

Around 3:15 a.m., the gunman opened fire inside the restaurant, specifically targeting Gross and Weaver, police said.

Police said the gunman critically wounded Weaver, then chased Gross as he ran from the building.

Midtown detectives received information that Weaver, Gross and the gunman were acquaintances. Police are still trying to identify the gunman.

Weaver was being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Sunday for wounds to his abdomen and leg.

Police continue to search for the suspect.

The shooting, only a week after a man was fatally shot in a Vanderbilt University campus garage, caught Midtown revelers by surprise.

Adam and Mike Cochran stood on the corner of 18th Avenue South and West End Avenue, smoking cigarettes before heading up to their rooms at the Aloft hotel when they said they heard shots ring out, screams and people running.

"We heard three shots and a lot of people running, and then one guy running and someone firing shots after him," Adam Cochran said. "We were in disbelief. You don't believe what's happening at the moment."

Three stories above 18th Avenue South, Mike Kroener was getting ready to settle in for the night at the Aloft hotel when he heard the gunshots below.

He walked over to his window and looked out his blinds down onto the street.

"I looked down and there was two guys running down the street," Kroener said. "I heard more shots, and I saw the first guy fall down. There was a lot of blood."

Late Sunday morning, the Cook Out was closed and workers inside were mopping the floors. A manager said everyone who had worked in the evening or early morning had gone home, and that the restaurant had no comment on the shooting.

Anyone with information about this case or the gunman's potential identity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463, or Midtown Hills Investigations at 615-880-1817.

Contact Reporter Jordan Buie at 615726-5970 or on Twitter @jordanbuie.