According to police, a Tennessee man is charged with criminal homicide and assault for allegedly strangling his pregnant girlfriend after she confronted him about text messages he sent to another woman, as well as shooting down a cousin of hers who attempted to intervene.
Tony Wray, 29, allegedly went on a rampage at The Harris Townhomes in Nashville around 11:57 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WSMV, he allegedly choked his girlfriend at his apartment before threatening to attack anyone who showed up to intervene, including his own mother.
“I will kill you and my mother,” Wray allegedly said to his girlfriend.
The affidavit states that she later told cops that Wray had a gun next to his bed and nearby when he allegedly made threats against her after she said she would call his mother and ask her to come over. The woman ended up calling another relative, Charqwan Howse, 26, who arrived with a third person. Wray shot Howse shortly after they arrived, according to police.
“The relative, Howse, and a third woman all approached Wray on the front porch of the apartment building, where an argument over the alleged assault ensued,” MNPD officials write in a press release. “Wray is accused of shooting Howse without further provocation.”
According to authorities, Howse was shot in the street and died there. Wray was present when cops arrived, “armed with a handgun,” according to police. Officers detained him without incident.
Homicide detectives spoke with witnesses and Wray’s girlfriend, who stated that they had argued prior to the shooting and that he choked her at least three times after she confronted him about the texts.
Wray is charged with two counts of aggravated assault against his girlfriend and one count of aggravated assault against a second woman/witness.
