Police are searching for three men after gunfire erupted around the brothers’ car at a Nashville-area apartment complex.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A young food delivery driver was killed and his 14-year-old brother critically wounded after three men approached their car and two opened fire Thursday night at a Nashville apartment complex, according to police and the victims’ family.
Metro Nashville Police Department homicide detectives said the shooting happened about 7:45 p.m. Oct. 15 in the parking lot of Birchstone Village Apartments on North Dupont Avenue. Investigators said the two victims were sitting inside a black Infiniti sedan when one man approached and began firing. Moments later, two additional men walked toward the car, and one of them also fired at the victims. All three suspects fled on foot. Police said detectives were pursuing strong leads Friday but had not announced any arrests.
The victims’ father, Juan Díaz, identified his sons to WSMV as Jhon and Alan. He said Jhon was 22 and had worked as a DoorDash delivery driver for more than a year. Police initially described the person who died as a tentatively identified 21-year-old man while the medical examiner worked to formally confirm his identity. Authorities confirmed that the younger victim was 14 and remained critically injured after being taken to Vanderbilt Pediatric Hospital.
Díaz said the brothers had gone out together Thursday to make food deliveries. According to their father, the family had been eating dinner when Jhon said he planned to take Alan with him. Díaz said the brothers had previously spent several hours together making deliveries without reporting trouble or anything suspicious. DoorDash employment or delivery activity was reported by the family; police did not identify their work as a suspected motive for the attack.
Police said the initial investigation shows one gunman approached the Infiniti and opened fire. Two more men then arrived, and a second person fired into the vehicle. Investigators said the driver tried to escape by backing out of the parking space before the car crashed into a nearby fence. The three men then ran from the area. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspects or released a suspected motive.
The older brother was taken to Skyline Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, police said. Alan was transported to Vanderbilt Pediatric Hospital in critical condition. His father told local reporters that the 14-year-old had suffered a serious gunshot injury. Authorities have not released additional medical details about the teenager’s condition.
Díaz said a police officer later came to the family’s home and initially told him his sons had been involved in an accident. He recalled asking whether they had been in a vehicle crash and whether he could go to them. He then learned one son had died and the other had been critically wounded. The father described the news as devastating and said his family was struggling to comprehend the sudden loss.
Police have not said whether investigators believe the brothers were deliberately targeted, whether robbery was a motive or whether the suspects knew either victim before the shooting. No information released by authorities has linked the attack to a DoorDash customer or a specific food order. Investigators have also not publicly described what happened immediately before the first gunman approached the car.
Birchstone Village is an apartment development on North Dupont Avenue in the Madison area of Nashville. The shooting occurred in its parking lot, according to police. Investigators did not report that any additional people at the complex were wounded.
The case remains an active homicide investigation. Metro Nashville police said detectives are following strong leads as they search for the three men who fled the scene. No arrests had been announced as of Saturday, Oct. 17, and authorities had not released a motive or a final account of what led to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.