One dead, one in custody after shooting at apartment in Bordeaux, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - One man is dead after a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Bordeaux on Saturday, according to Metro Police.

Police said 28-year-old Gerrika Abernathy, also known as Gerrika Simmon, is in custody after she allegedly murdered her friend, 34-year-old Marques Douglas.

The shooting happened inside Abernathy’s apartment at the 2400 block of Buena Vista Pike on Saturday.

Police said they received a call about the shooting around noon. They found Douglas with a gunshot wound to his head. He died shortly after arriving to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Douglas had been staying on-and-off at Abernathy’s apartment, police said. Abernathy told Douglas to gather his belongings, and he arrived at her apartment to do so, according to police.

Abernathy claimed Douglas punched her in the head during a fight, after which he went into a bedroom and closed the door, police said.

Detectives determined that Abernathy allegedly fired a single shot through the bedroom door from the top of the stairs.

Police said Douglas was not an immediate threat to Abernathy, and that she had the opportunity to walk down the stairs and leave. Officials reported they did not see a visible injury from the alleged punch.

During her interview with officials, Abernathy claimed she did not mean to shoot Douglas and was only trying to scare him.

Copyright 2023 WSMV. All rights reserved.