A verbal dispute outside a KFC on Rosa L. Parks Boulevard in Nashville ended in gunfire on February 5, 2025. Christopher Ray Smith, 40 and a father of five, was with a female friend when an unrestrained bulldog owned by 30-year-old Isaiah Alexander Maston approached. A verbal argument between the men escalated, and as Smith and his companion turned to walk away, Maston allegedly fired multiple shots. Smith was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and died of his injuries.

Metro police located Maston shortly afterward sitting on the steps of a nearby apartment building and took him into custody without incident. The bulldog was placed with Metro Animal Control. Maston was charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault and held on $210,000 bond; court records list the case as ongoing.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or the events in the KFC parking lot that night, please share what was seen or heard.