Nashville police responding to a report of shots fired at a Madison apartment complex found a 21-year-old man with gunshot wounds.
A call came in to 911 about the shooting in the 1000 block of North Dupont Avenue just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
When police discovered Jeffrey Hardney Jr., 21, who was taken to a hospital for treatment but died there.
The man believed to have shot the victim was charged with evidence tampering and providing false information while police investigate his claim of self defense, according to a statement from MNPD.
The shooter, who lives at the complex, shot the victim “who, according to residents of another apartment, had been peering into windows,” the statement says.
Officers found a pistol near Hardney. The shooter told police he fired only after he himself was fired upon, police said.
When interviewed by police, the shooter initially denied going outside with a gun and said there were no firearms in the home, MNPD said.
Investigators found part of an AR-style rifle, a 30-round 9mm magazine and a 9mm drum magazine in the man’s apartment, MNPD said. After the discovery, the man admitted to detectives that he shot the victim, police said.
“He said he tossed the other part of the rifle and a pistol into a wooded area before police arrived, although officers did not find them after an extensive search,” MNPD said.