The Fisk University community is in mourning after the tragic death of 20-year-old basketball player Andre Bell, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a shooting on a Nashville highway.
A Fatal Journey Home
Andre Bell, a sophomore Business Administration student at Fisk University, was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Monday. The Tennessee native had been critically injured the previous evening, Sunday, while driving back to campus.
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), Bell was travelling north on the I-65 highway with two friends shortly after 8pm. They were returning from a gymnastics event at the fairgrounds where Bell had been volunteering. The police report states that Bell's friends noticed a dark sedan in the lane beside them. Distracted by their phones, they then heard multiple gunshots and realised Bell had been hit.
Chaos on the Interstate
The shooting caused Bell's white Nissan Sentra to slow and spin into traffic, where it collided with a red pickup truck. The dark sedan, believed to be the source of the gunfire, continued driving without stopping. Bell suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
MNPD investigators noted that evidence at the scene, including shattered glass, suggests the suspect's vehicle may have sustained windshield damage. The Homicide Unit has opened an investigation, but a motive for the attack remains unclear.
A Campus in Mourning
The news has devastated the close-knit Fisk University community. Fisk Athletics Director Valencia Jordan released a statement expressing profound grief, describing the loss as coming from a "senseless act of violence." She confirmed Bell was heading back to campus after volunteering at the university's gymnastics meet.
"Our hearts go out to his family at this most difficult time," Jordan wrote. "We will stand with them and support them in every way possible... Counseling is being provided for our team of athletes who are understandably heartbroken."
Fisk basketball coach Jeremiah Crutcher paid a moving tribute to his player, remembering Bell as a "young, bright, and gentle young man" and a "leader on and off the basketball court." While a "dominant force" in play, Crutcher said Bell would be most remembered for his "infectious smile, loving personality, and unique ability to always bring warmth to a room."
The MNPD is urging anyone with information about the dark sedan or who may have dashcam footage from the I-65 north area around 8pm on Sunday to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
