WSMV 4 Nashville reporter Amber Jayanth described a case that sounds like it should have ended with nothing more than a small good deed and a quick drive home.
Instead, Jayanth reported, Metro Nashville Police say a 16-year-old who was selling candy outside a Kroger is now accused of shooting and robbing the customer who had just helped him.
Jayanth framed it as the kind of situation that catches people off guard because it starts with something ordinary: you see a teen trying to sell candy, you figure it’s harmless, and you might even want to encourage it.
That’s what makes the alleged outcome feel so jarring, because it takes a moment that looks like kindness and flips it into a violent crime in a matter of seconds.
What Amber Jayanth Says Police Believe Happened
Amber Jayanth reported that the suspect, Jaylen Fitzgerald, is accused of shooting a 62-year-old man after the man bought candy from him outside a Kroger in the Germantown area.
According to Jayanth’s report, Metro Police said the incident began in the parking lot outside that store, where the teen was selling candy to the man on December 2.
Jayanth said police believe the teen asked the man for a ride, and the man agreed because it was cold, which is a detail that tells you the victim wasn’t looking for trouble—he was trying to be decent.
Jayanth explained that the ride was not some long trip across town, either, because she said police told her the teen was supposedly trying to get home just a block away.
But as the teen was getting out of the car, Jayanth reported, Metro Police say he pulled out a gun and demanded cash and medication.
That’s a very specific demand, and it changes the picture fast, because now it isn’t a misunderstanding or a dispute – it’s a robbery, and a gun is being used to force it.
Jayanth said the victim tried to push the teen out of the car, and police believe that’s when the man was shot in the stomach.
In the version of events Jayanth relayed, the victim’s attempt to defend himself didn’t end the danger; it triggered the worst possible outcome.
This is the part that sticks with me, because people are often told to “fight back” or “don’t comply,” but real life isn’t a training video, and a person can make the “brave” move and still get badly hurt.
Where It Happened And Why Residents Are Shaken
Amber Jayanth reported that the shooting happened along 26th Avenue North, not far from the Kroger, and she emphasized it’s close to where people live their normal lives.
She spoke with a resident, Christy Stone, who told Jayanth the incident made her look at her neighborhood differently.
Stone told Jayanth, “Well, it makes me wonder about my neighborhood then a little bit. Uh, and I think that’s a real, real sad situation.”
Jayanth also described how people she spoke with said this is the last thing you expect when you see a teen selling candy, because most adults see that and think, “I can help,” not “I’m in danger.”
Stone, speaking to Jayanth, put words to that shift in thinking, saying, “I just, you just don’t know you can trust anymore.”
She explained that she’s had people ask her for rides before, and now she feels she can’t take that risk.
Stone told Jayanth, “I’ve had a lot of people ask me for ride and I’m like, I’m sorry, I just can’t do it… I’ll give you bus fare. I’ll buy you something to eat… but I just, I don’t let anyone in the car with me.”
That kind of comment is sad because it’s not coming from cruelty; it’s coming from fear, and fear spreads in a community like smoke after a fire.
When a single case makes people feel like they have to close their car doors and stop helping, it changes how neighbors treat each other, even if most people asking for help are not dangerous.
How Police Tracked The Teen Down
Amber Jayanth reported that security cameras in the Kroger parking lot helped investigators piece together what happened and identify the suspect.
She said there are several cameras in the lot, and she noted the store also has security presence, which became relevant as police worked the case.
Jayanth reported that Metro Police later found the teen on Jefferson Street, and she said police found him armed with a gun at the time.
She said the teen was arrested and is now facing aggravated robbery charges, which matches the seriousness of what investigators say occurred.
One detail in Jayanth’s report that matters is timing: she described it as a case police were able to track down, not one that simply vanished into the city.
That doesn’t erase what happened to the victim, but it does show that cameras, witnesses, and follow-up work can still matter in a place where people sometimes assume nothing gets solved.
A Kroger With A Growing List Of Calls
Amber Jayanth’s report didn’t treat this as an isolated blip, because she also referenced a pattern of police responses tied to the same Kroger location.
She reported that just last week police were called to the store when a shopper threatened a customer and a security guard with a knife.
She also said, as WSMV has reported, that police have been called to that Kroger several times in the past two years, with the station citing specific numbers.
Jayanth’s report said there have been 65 thefts reported at the store and 15 assaults, along with three calls for shots fired, though she noted no one was hurt in those earlier shots-fired incidents.
Those numbers are more than just statistics, because they shape how people feel walking in and out of a grocery store.
A Kroger should be a place where you buy bread and milk, not a place where you’re scanning the parking lot like it’s a risky intersection at midnight.
And once a store starts building a reputation like that, it becomes a cycle: more fear, more tension, more conflict, and then more incidents that confirm people’s fear.
The Hard Question: What Helping Looks Like Now
Amber Jayanth’s report captured a painful contradiction that a lot of people recognize right away.
Most adults want to help a kid who looks like they’re hustling candy in the cold, and most people don’t want to become the kind of person who says “no” to everyone.
But Jayanth also showed how one incident can make people feel like “help” has to come with distance, like bus fare instead of a ride, or food instead of letting someone into your car.
My own reaction is that it’s heartbreaking, because a community needs trust the way a body needs oxygen, and when trust gets punctured, everything feels tighter and colder.
At the same time, Jayanth’s reporting makes it hard to blame residents for being cautious, because the alleged facts here are not minor, and the victim wasn’t arguing or provoking; he was trying to do something kind.
In the end, what makes this story linger is how ordinary it begins, and how violent it becomes, and how many people will quietly adjust their behavior because of it.
Amber Jayanth reported the teen is in custody and facing serious charges, but the bigger damage is the invisible kind: a man shot after trying to help, and a neighborhood learning, again, that the next “small favor” could carry a risk nobody wants to imagine.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
