MTSU professor who studies gangs, shares what we can learn from the Jefferson Street shooting

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — We know so many of you are still heartbroken by the violence that took place on Jefferson Street over the weekend. The shooting took place several hours after TSU Homecoming festivities wrapped up.

Metro Police confirm, two opposing gangs exchanged gunfire. Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, both 24, were arrested for Saturday’s shooting. One person died and nine were injured, many of whom were innocent bystanders.

We thought it might be valuable, even important, to talk to someone who researches these types of situations to see if there’s anything we can learn from it to prevent them in the future.

“If you don’t know why it’s happening, you won’t know how to help keep it from happening,” said Carter Smith, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at MTSU.

Smith specializes in studying the activity of street gangs.

“The problem is not limited to this past weekend, the problem is not limited to downtown Nashville,” said Carter.

Smith says, thinking this may have been an isolated incident or only involves a particular neighborhood, couldn’t be further from the truth.