The investigation into the November 3rd shooting death of homeless individual Edward Matthews on a bench at Church Street and 5th Avenue North is now assigned to the police department’s centralized Homicide-Cold Case Unit as detectives work to identify the gunman who may also be responsible for wounding another homeless man in March of this year.
Matthews, 46, was found shot to death by Central Precinct Officer Lloyd Sharp at 6:45 a.m. November 3rd as Sharp was making a routine check of the area.
In the other case from eight months ago, Albanus Kitaka was sleeping outside 242 5th Avenue North on March 10th when he said he was kicked and awakened by a man at approximately 4 a.m. Kitaka, who was age 60 at the time, suffered a gunshot wound to the mouth that he said occurred without provocation. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment and has recovered.
Similarities between the two cases include the close proximity of the locations, both occurred in the early morning hours and both involved homeless men.
Kitaka has related that he believes the person who shot him was a black man.
Homicide-Cold Case detectives are working with Central Precinct officers and investigators to continue interviewing homeless persons and providers of services to the homeless. A large number of those individuals have already been spoken to by police as officers try to glean any information about the gunman. It is not known whether the suspect is also homeless.
During the past year (November 2008 to November 2009), Central Precinct officers have increased their proactive policing efforts in and around the Church Street corridor by 93% in an effort to prevent harm to persons exposed on the street, to improve quality of life in the area, as well as encourage the use of available shelters. So far during 2009, Central officers have extended offers of assistance (transportation to shelters and/or referral to service providers to the homeless) 1,100 times, 697 of which have been refused.
Anyone with information on the person or persons involved in the murder of Edward Matthews or the March wounding of Albanus Kitaka is asked to contact the police department’s Homicide-Cold Case Unit at 862-7329 or Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME. Persons can also send an electronic tip to Crime Stoppers by texting the word “CASH” along with their message to 274637 (CRIMES), or by going online to www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com. Those who contact Crime Stoppers qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
###
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