In the autumn of 2019, the life of 19-year-old Rickey B. Scott, a student at Tennessee State University, was tragically cut short in what was initially a perplexing medical emergency. On Sunday, October 13, Scott was found unconscious inside his dorm room at Watson Hall on the Nashville campus. He was rushed to Centennial Medical Center where, upon examination, a gunshot wound was discovered.
The discovery immediately shifted the focus of the case, and Nashville police were called in to investigate what was now being treated as a homicide. Scott was subsequently transferred to Skyline Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries later that same day.
The investigation into the male student's death quickly centered on a fellow student and resident of the same dormitory. Through surveillance footage and interviews, detectives identified 18-year-old George Wells Jr. as a person of interest. In his initial interview, the circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear. However, during a second interview with detectives, Wells provided a chilling account of the incident. He admitted to bringing what he believed to be a pellet gun onto the university campus and into Scott's room. While handling the weapon, he pulled the trigger, striking Scott. Wells acknowledged that he knew the weapon had fired and that his fellow student had been hit.
Following his admission, George Wells Jr. was arrested and charged with reckless homicide in connection with Rickey Scott's death. The weapon used in the shooting was not immediately recovered. Wells was subsequently booked into jail. The case highlighted the tragic consequences of firearms on college campuses, even when the initial intent may not have been malicious. The university community mourned the loss of a young life, holding a vigil for Scott where students gathered to pray and sing in his memory. In the years following, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County authorized a settlement of $175,000 to be paid to the estate of Rickey Scott, brought forth by Renay Scott Patterson, acting as the administratrix and next of kin.
