In the early hours of March 1, 2015, a dispute inside a Nashville, Tennessee restaurant escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of 25-year-old Murray Gross. The incident, which also left another man critically wounded, unfolded at the Cookout restaurant on West End Avenue. An altercation that began inside the establishment is believed to have been the catalyst for the violence that followed.
Following the initial confrontation, the situation quickly turned violent.
A man identified as Jordan Goodlett, who was 18 years old at the time, allegedly brandished a firearm. Another man, Ryan Weaver, was shot and wounded inside the restaurant. Gross, who was a friend of Weaver, fled the restaurant and was pursued by the gunman. The chase ended in a nearby alley where Gross was fatally shot. He was found deceased in the street on 18th Avenue.
Metro Nashville Police detectives quickly identified Jordan Goodlett as the suspect. An Atlanta native who had been a college student in Nashville, Goodlett was already out on bond for a separate felony drug charge at the time of the shooting. Law enforcement issued arrest warrants for Goodlett on charges of criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide.
Despite the initial charges and the progression of the case to a First Degree Murder charge filed in December 2015, the legal proceedings against Jordan Goodlett did not result in a conviction for the death of Murray Gross. On September 27, 2019, the murder charge against Goodlett was recorded as 'Nolle Prosequi,' a legal term indicating that the prosecution had chosen to discontinue the prosecution of the case. The specific reasons for this decision have not been made publicly available in online sources. The case against the sole suspect in the killing of Murray Gross was consequently closed without a trial or conviction.
