A dispute at a Nashville gas station on Halloween morning in 2023 tragically ended the life of Rezai Dashti, a 26-year-old White/Caucasian male. The fatal encounter occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. at the Mapco gas station located at 385 Harding Place. Dashti was shot and subsequently transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Metro Nashville Police Department's Homicide Unit detectives quickly began an investigation, identifying the
incident not as a random act but as the result of a pre-existing conflict. The investigation, led by Homicide Unit Detective Chris Cote, revealed that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over a drug-related issue between Dashti and the suspect.
Within weeks, investigators identified 32-year-old Demarco Locust as the suspect. On November 30, 2023, detectives with the Specialized Investigations Division located and apprehended Locust after a brief vehicle pursuit that concluded on Hillsboro Pike at I-440. Following his arrest, Locust was taken to police headquarters, where he declined to provide a statement.
Locust was charged with criminal homicide for the death of Rezai Dashti. In addition to the homicide charge, he also faced charges of felony evading in relation to the pursuit that led to his capture and an unrelated charge of aggravated assault for allegedly shooting at his ex-girlfriend's car in April of the same year. Locust was booked into jail and held without bond. In March 2025, a Davidson County jury found Demarco Locust guilty of the first-degree premeditated murder of Rezai Dashti. The jury deliberated for only three hours before reaching their verdict. As a result of the conviction, Locust received an automatic life sentence. He was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, with sentencing on that charge scheduled for May.
