A quiet evening at a marina in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, turned into a scene of violence and tragedy that left three men dead, including 52-year-old Matthew Jones. The events unfolded on the night of Friday, January 30, 2026, at the Cedar Creek Marina on Old Hickory Lake, shattering the peace of the lakeside community.
That evening, calls were made to the Mt. Juliet Police Department reporting a man threatening people on the docks.
As officers arrived and began their search for the individual, the situation escalated dramatically when the sound of gunfire echoed through the marina. Responding to the shots, police discovered a man, later identified as Robert Brogden, with a gunshot wound. He was quickly moved to a safer location for medical attention and then transported to a local hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
The gunman, identified as 45-year-old Gary Haley Jr., was believed to be contained on a boat at the end of a dock, leading to a prolonged standoff. The Mt. Juliet Police Department's Special Response Team was activated to handle the volatile situation. The standoff continued for some time until Haley reportedly opened fire on the officers. In the exchange of gunfire that followed, Haley was shot and killed by the police.
In the aftermath of the shootout, as law enforcement secured the area, they made another grim discovery. Matthew Jones, a male resident of the marina community, was found deceased. An investigation into the full sequence of events was launched by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. A witness who knew him mentioned that Matthew Jones was also known as "Nate" and had been helpful to fellow boat owners at the marina. The motive for the initial threats and the shootings remains under investigation by the TBI. No arrests were made as the sole suspect was killed at the scene.
