Murfreesboro, TN – Earlier this year in April, a violent road rage incident led to one person being shot and killed and another injured in Murfreesboro. The incident reportedly involved several people riding motorcycles together and a man driving an SUV who allegedly fired the fatal shot.
When police arrived at the scene on April 13, 2024, they located motorcyclist Paul Howell in the roadway on South Rutherford Boulevard near Broad Street... That was Rutherford County District Attorney General Jennings Jones. Howell was an over the road driver for J & D Equipment and lived in Liberty, Tennessee.
A friend of 49-year-old Howell was also shot during the incident. That victim was a 48-year-old man who lives in Rutherford County's Lascassas community…
About 30-minutes after the initial 9-1-1 call regarding the shooting, dispatchers received another phone call… Gann was interviewed and arrested…
Again, 39-year-old Joseph Gann was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. Gann’s arrest took place when he turned himself in to MPD officers - who met him at Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department Station 3 on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. The District Attorney confirmed that by agreement, the case has been bound over to a Rutherford County Grand Jury.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
(Original Follow-Up Release on April 15, 2024) Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division Violent Crimes detectives are still investigating what led to a road rage shooting that left one man dead and another one injured Saturday, April 13.
The fatal shooting victim, 49-year-old Paul Howell was taken to the hospital where he later died. A second victim, a 48-year-old man, was shot in the arm and treated for his injury.
The shooter, 39-year-old Joseph Gann, left the scene of the shooting. He later turned himself in to officers at Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department Station 3 on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Gann was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and one count of reckless endangerment.
The preliminary investigation reveals Gann was driving on S. Rutherford Blvd. in a Toyota Rav 4 when a road rage incident with a group of motorcycle riders occurred. Things escalated at the intersection of S. Rutherford Blvd. and SE Broad/Manchester Hwy. According to detectives, Gann fired multiple shots striking two of the motorcyclists.
It's still unclear what caused the road rage incident. The investigation continues.
If you witnessed the road rage or have any information that could be helpful to the investigation, please contact Detective Drew Stalnaker at 629-201-5615.
Gann is in jail at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $1,510,000 bond. A hearing is set for June 24 in Rutherford County General Sessions Court.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
