NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Metro Nashville Police Department has charged a 42-year-old Florida man in connection with a fatal stabbing at the WeGo bus stop Friday morning.

MNPD homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging Roy Lomax Gardner with the murder of Jamesha L. Jackson, 38, of Nashville, at a bus stop at the intersection of Harding Place and Antioch Pike in South Nashville, according to a news release. release.

Police said Gardner was carrying a Florida ID card issued in April 2024 that listed an address in North Fort Myers. He has a criminal history that includes arrests in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Officers don’t know when Gardner arrived in Nashville.

Detectives said Gardner and Jackson were sitting next to each other on the bench at the bus stop when the WeGo bus pulled up around 5:15 a.m. When both Gardner and Jackson got up and began walking toward the bus, police said surveillance video showed Gardner attacking and starting. stab him.

Police said Jackson began screaming and attracted the attention of people in the parking lot of the convenience store next to the bus stop. Bystanders ran over to Gardner and held him down until police officers arrived.

Nicole LaFever used this bus stop every day and was eating breakfast nearby when she saw the commotion and police arriving. He said it was a really scary situation and now he is alert when he gets on the bus alone.

“It’s sad,” LaFever said. “A lot of bad things happen in Nashville, but I guess you don’t think they’re going to happen this close to home. “This happened very early too, so I thought it was weird.”

LaFever said he would like to see more police and security around WeGo bus routes beyond downtown stations and transit hubs. This stabbing occurred less than half a mile from the MNPD Southern Precinct.

WSMV took these concerns to Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Friday morning. O’Connell said this incident was “clearly a tragedy” and that he was committed to bringing more resources to the area through the Public Transport Improvement Plan adopted last week and the new South East Police District scheduled to open next autumn.

“This will mean both more technology and more staff focused on security,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully this will be something that we can also reduce the possibility of moving forward. But today is another period of really difficult mourning and grieving for someone who did not deserve to be the victim of a violent crime.”

Jackson was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later died. The Florida man is being treated at VUMC for injuries.

“He is being protected by the police and will be taken to prison and will be tried on murder charges after he is released from the hospital,” MNPD said. ”Detectives were not able to speak with Gardner in detail. “The reason for attacking the victim is unclear.”

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