On a Saturday evening in Nashville, Tennessee, a dispute between a man and a woman outside an apartment complex in the J.C. Napier Homes would tragically cut short the life of Ernest Johnson. It was around 10:30 p.m. on June 19, 2021, when the 26-year-old male witnessed the argument and chose to intervene. This act of stepping in would prove to be fatal. The man involved in the dispute, later identified as Thomas Givens, responded to Johnson's intervention by pulling out a handgun and shooting him multiple times. After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on a motorcycle. Ernest Johnson was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and died.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department began their investigation, quickly identifying 41-year-old Thomas Givens as the suspected shooter. On June 20, 2021, a day after the fatal encounter, an arrest warrant was issued for Givens, charging him with criminal homicide. For months, Givens remained at large. The search for him concluded in early January 2022 when he was taken into custody in Clarksville, Tennessee. Authorities in Clarksville were to extradite him back to Nashville to face the murder charge. At the time of his arrest in Clarksville, Givens was also facing other local charges, including aggravated assault.
Following his extradition to Nashville, Thomas Givens was formally charged with criminal homicide for the death of Ernest Johnson. Court records from the Nashville and Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk indicate an open case against a Thomas Givens for this charge. The records show that the legal proceedings are ongoing, with a future court date scheduled. At this time, there has been no public announcement of a trial, conviction, or sentencing in the case. The matter remains pending within the Tennessee justice system.
