In the late afternoon of a Saturday in Nashville, a violent encounter at a carwash tragically cut short the life of 18-year-old Ronnie Lee Carver. On November 3, 2007, Carver was at the NCW carwash located at 4007 Charlotte Avenue, accompanying his friend, 20-year-old Stephen Donta Oden. The two were together just before 4:00 p.m. as Oden was vacuuming his 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe.
The ordinary weekend scene was shattered when a Black male suspect pulled into the carwash in an early 2000s model 2-door dark blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The unidentified man got out of his vehicle and approached Oden, initiating a physical altercation that quickly escalated. The suspect pulled out a firearm and shot Oden. Immediately following the first shooting, the assailant turned his attention to Carver, who was seated in the passenger seat of the Tahoe.
The gunman opened fire on Carver, striking him multiple times.
In a desperate attempt to escape the barrage of bullets, Carver managed to open the passenger door and fell to the ground beside the vehicle, seeking cover. The attacker, however, was relentless. He fired at Carver again as he lay on the ground. After the brutal assault, the suspect calmly walked back to his Monte Carlo and drove away from the scene, leaving chaos and tragedy in his wake.
The case of Ronnie Lee Carver's murder remains an open investigation with the Nashville Police Department's Cold Case Unit. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the double homicide, and the suspect remains unidentified. Authorities continue to seek information from the public that could lead to a breakthrough in solving this senseless crime and bringing justice to the families of Ronnie Lee Carver and Stephen Donta Oden.
