Mary M. Reeves

mmreeves@dnj.com

MURFREESBORO — Other than being the sheriff and a member of law enforcement, Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold doesn’t know the motive for shots fired outside his Osborne Lane home Monday night.

“We all know, as soon as you put your uniform on, you’re a target,” he said at a news conference Tuesday morning at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. “You make people mad when you’re just doing your job.”

Arnold said when he first heard the shots, he wondered if they were inspired by the Super Bowl halftime show.

When asked to clarify that comment, he added, “You know, Beyonce’s video.”

Awkward, uncomfortable conversations about racism worth it

Beyonce recently released the video "Formation," which has been described as representing the African-American experience.

Set in New Orleans, the video shows images of the flooded city after Hurricane Katrina. In one scene, the pop singer performs from the roof of a police car that is mostly under water.

She performed "Formation" during the Super Bowl halftime show.

In an email Tuesday afternoon to further clarify the sheriff's Super Bowl statement, Arnold said, “My comments reflect the violence and senseless killing of seven deputies in the U.S. since the show aired. My comments are an observation of the violence that has occurred but in no way is meant to offend anyone.”

The email also included a link to The National Sheriff's Association's website with the following information: "The senseless killing of four law enforcement officers just this week — on the heels of the anti-police “entertainment” at the Sunday Super Bowl halftime show — reminds us that the men and women in law enforcement take a solemn oath that includes putting their lives on the line every day to protect our citizens."

According to national media reports, those shooting deaths included two deputies in Maryland shot by a gunman they were called to investigate, a deputy in Colorado who tried to detain a man reported to be carrying a gun by some railroad tracks, a North Dakota officer shot in a standoff and a Georgia officer shot while serving a warrant. In Utah, one deputy was killed and another wounded in a shootout.

Local investigation continues

Murfreesboro Police are investigating the shooting near the Arnold home, which is in city limits.

According to the report filed by Officer Steven Vajcner, Arnold was on the phone at 8:18 p.m. when he heard approximately eight shots fired at the house.

“He then told his family to get on the ground and looked out his window,” Vajcner said. “Mr. Arnold then advised that he saw a dark gray Nissan Altima drive past his house heading toward Memorial.”

No one was injured in the shooting.

“The sheriff and his family were pretty shaken up, as you can imagine,” said Lisa Marchesoni, public information officer for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, who was on the scene Monday night. “It endangered people in the neighborhood.”

At the media conference, Arnold stressed the importance of his family, which includes his wife, his 3-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter.

“That’s what bothers me the most, how this affects my family,” he said. “For this to happen at my house, this bothers me tremendously.”

He said the county has increased patroling in his neighborhood, and a deputy has been assigned to stay there at all times when his family is home.

Arnold said he believes Murfreesboro Police have also increased patrols in the area.

During the investigation Monday night, Vajcner made contact with a neighbor who told the officer she heard five to six gunshots outside her residence.

“She immediately looked out her window and saw a light-colored, four-door sedan back up and sit still at the house across the street for approximately 60 seconds and head down Osborne Lane towards Memorial Boulevard,” Vajcner reported.

Another neighbor told the officer that while he was backing out of his driveway, he heard approximately five gunshots.

“He immediately stopped the vehicle and looked around,” Vajcner said. Evans, who was driving a white Nissan Altima, told Vajcner he did not see anything and proceeded to drive down Osborne Lane to Memorial.

Officers found six .22-caliber casings in the street around the intersection of Osborne and Caraway Drive.

Arnold said the casings were found in a line on the right-hand side of the street, indicating a passenger shooting from a moving vehicle.

He said he was in his office at the time, talking with a county commissioner, and the office has two windows facing the street.

“You can see in, especially at night,” he said, adding that the blinds were open at the time. “I’m always a target.”

But, he added, “I’m glad I’m alive and well.”

Shots fired at Sheriff Robert Arnold's home