South Precinct detectives have identified the suspected gunman in last Friday morning’s murder of Vinod Shah inside his Discount Beer Market at 15116 Old Hickory Boulevard.
Edgar Rodriguez, 19, is named in an arrest warrant issued this afternoon charging criminal homicide. Rodriguez is believed to have fled the United States to Mexico. South Precinct detectives have been in touch with the FBI regarding the possible issuance of a federal unlawful flight warrant.
Meticulous processing of the crime scene by Identification Officers Bill Kirby, Johnny Lawrence and Sergeant Brad Johns led to the discovery of a fingerprint potentially left by the gunman. Identification Division Latent Fingerprint Examiner Larry Farnow confirmed that the print belonged to Rodriguez, who was physically arrested by Metro police for driving without a license on August 20, 2007. That arrest came after Rodriguez was twice stopped and issued misdemeanor citations for driving without a license earlier in 2007 (on May 4 and February 9). South Precinct Detective Derry Baltimore today located local family members of Rodriguez, who reported that he abruptly said he was traveling to Mexico last Friday evening. Those family members, after viewing the surveillance video from the market, identified Rodriguez as the suspected gunman.
Rodriguez’s physical arrest on the driver license charge last August 20 subjected him to the 287(g) immigration program operated by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. Records reflect that Rodriguez was found to be an illegal alien and was ordered removed by a United States Immigration Judge. He was deported to Mexico on October 30, 2007. It is not known where or when Rodriguez illegally reentered the United States.
“Despite the Sheriff’s 287(g) work in this case, the federal government still can’t secure our nation’s borders,” Chief Ronal Serpas said. “Unfortunately, the cold blooded murder of a Nashville market owner is intertwined with the federal government’s inability to deal with a broken immigration system and border security.”
Attempted robbery is considered to be a likely motive for Shah’s murder. South Precinct detectives continue in their efforts to identify the second man who entered the market with the gunman.
###
Disclaimer: These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Send questions or comments about this site to webmaster@police.nashville.org
