A late-night dispute at the Double CC Bar & Grill in Athens, Tennessee, ended with the owner shot dead. On Saturday, September 20, 2025, 55-year-old Randy Croft was fatally shot in the bar’s parking lot after a confrontation with 24-year-old William Charles Thomas Sullivan. Sullivan had reportedly been ejected earlier for threatening patrons with a knife and then returned, allegedly firing shots in the parking area.

Croft went outside to inspect the disturbance and was shot multiple times; his wife, Stephanie, says he was not a threat. A witness described Croft as keeping the shooter away from other patrons. After the shooting, Sullivan is said to have stolen Croft’s truck and fled. A multi-agency pursuit ended in Sullivan’s capture in a neighboring county; he is being held in the McMinn County Jail on a murder charge.

Sullivan reportedly told investigators a series of events including an accidental discharge after falling into a ditch, being struck by a thrown beer bottle, and then shooting Croft in self-defense, admitting he emptied his gun, reloaded, and fired more rounds. Was anyone at the bar that night willing to share what they saw leading up to the shooting?