In the late hours of a March night in 2017, Gitem Demissie, a 41-year-old Ethiopian man, was preparing to close his popular Nashville business, the Ibex Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant on Murfreesboro Pike. It was around midnight on Saturday, March 18th, when the routine end to a workday turned into a scene of targeted violence. A masked gunman, described as having a thin build and light skin, entered the establishment, approached Demissie, and shot him multiple times without hesitation.
The attacker, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans, fled the scene immediately after the assault. Demissie was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The calculated nature of the attack led investigators to quickly label it a 'targeted killing' and a 'true assassination,' as the gunman ignored another person present in the restaurant and focused solely on Demissie. Surveillance footage captured the chilling moments as the assailant, wearing a hoodie, walked swiftly into the restaurant, fired at Demissie across the bar, and then fired additional shots into his body as he lay moving. In total, Demissie was shot 10 times. The brazen and cold-blooded murder sent shockwaves through Nashville's close-knit Ethiopian community, where Demissie was known as a hardworking and beloved figure.
In the aftermath, Metro Nashville Police launched an extensive investigation, interviewing over 100 people in an effort to uncover a motive and identify the killer. Detectives explored potential leads, including the possibility of business-related disputes, and reviewed surveillance footage from the days leading up to the shooting which reportedly showed an argument between Demissie and another individual. Despite these efforts and a description of the suspect, no arrests have ever been made in the case. Two years after the slaying, the investigation had gone cold and was transferred to the MNPD's Homicide Cold Case Unit, leaving family, friends, and the wider community still searching for answers and justice for a life cut tragically short.
