Tommy Lee Kelley, 59, was shot and killed in the backyard of his Nashville home on the evening of Sunday, December 30, 2018. He had just arrived at 1633 25th Avenue North, parked his pickup and was walking toward the house when, according to investigators and witnesses, a gunman stepped out from behind a shed and opened fire. Neighbors and officers found Kelley near his truck with multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and pronounced dead.

Police processed the scene, collected shell casings and canvassed the neighborhood. Early reports described the attack as sudden and suggestive of a targeted ambush. The case was later listed on the city’s cold case roster; no suspect name or arrest has been publicly announced and investigators have continued to ask for tips. Funeral arrangements were held in early January 2019 at New Metropolitan CMBC with interment at Greenwood West.

If anyone saw something unusual near 25th Avenue North around 6 p.m. on December 30, 2018, or has information about who stepped out from behind that shed, contact Crime Stoppers or the Nashville Cold Case Homicide Unit.