In the early morning hours of May 14, 2025, the flashing lights of police cars illuminated a grim scene at the intersection of 16th and Wedgewood Avenues in Nashville, Tennessee. A Nissan Altima had crashed into a tree, but the damage to the vehicle was not the primary cause for concern. Inside, officers discovered the body of 26-year-old Dana Corley, a Black male, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The initial investigation began immediately, with detectives noting that Corley's wallet was missing, suggesting a possible robbery motive. His phone was later found near Wedgewood and 21st Avenues. Residents in the area recalled hearing gunshots between 10:30 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. the previous night.
The narrative of what befell Dana Corley began to solidify with the arrest of 24-year-old Jordan A. Smith just a few days later. Investigators determined that the tragic encounter started at a Circle K market on Belmont Boulevard. Smith, whose girlfriend worked at the market, was outside when he saw Corley, with whom he had previous issues, inside the store. Smith then entered the market and, at gunpoint, forced Corley outside. It is alleged that Smith proceeded to rob an unarmed Corley of his cell phone. After the confrontation, Corley drove away from the market, with Smith following in his own vehicle.
The chase culminated in the fatal shooting near the intersection of 16th Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue. Smith later claimed that he fired upon Corley's vehicle because he was in fear as they drove alongside each other. Following the shooting, Corley's car crashed into the tree where he was later discovered. Specialized Investigations Division TITANS detectives apprehended Smith at an apartment complex on Buena Vista Pike. He is now facing a litany of felony charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and evidence tampering, and is being held without bond. For Corley's family, the grief was compounded by a haunting sense of history repeating itself; his father, Dana Mayo, had also been shot to death in his car years earlier in a case that remains unsolved. Having spent eight years in jail for a past robbery, Corley's family said he had been turning his life around and was looking forward to reconnecting with his loved ones.
