In the late hours of a Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, the life of 43-year-old Dean Lesile Kwatelai-Quartey was tragically cut short. On January 28, 2021, Kwatelai-Quartey was fatally shot in a parking lot at 300 McCann Street, just south of the city's downtown area. The incident unfolded near the intersection of 3rd Avenue South and McCann Street, where an encounter with a man named Rojelio Rivera turned deadly.
For reasons that remain unknown, Rivera reportedly shot Kwatelai-Quartey.
Wounded, Kwatelai-Quartey managed to walk to a nearby parking lot in an attempt to find help. However, Rivera pursued him and fired at him again, this time through a fence in the parking lot, before fleeing the scene on foot. Despite the efforts of those who came to his aid, Kwatelai-Quartey succumbed to his injuries and died at a local hospital. He was a native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was known by friends and family as 'Les.' In his youth at Franklin High School, he had been a standout football and track athlete.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officers quickly saturated the area in search of the gunman. Their efforts led them to Rojelio Rivera, who was found behind a building at the intersection of McCann Street and 2nd Avenue South. At the time of his apprehension, Rivera, who was 38 years old, was in possession of a. 45 caliber pistol.
Homicide detectives promptly charged Rivera with criminal homicide for the death of Dean Kwatelai-Quartey. Due to Rivera's prior felony convictions in other jurisdictions, he also faced a charge of unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon. The investigation into the motive for the seemingly random and senseless act of violence continued as the legal process against Rivera commenced.
