The man charged with 17 crimes after he committed an alleged six-mile shooting spree that began at a park in Nashville is being held as illegal immigrant, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office records reveal after Edixon Oniel Murillo-Antunez was arrested on Wednesday.
Sheriff’s office records indicate Murillo-Antunez is held at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center under an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detainer after initially being granted the ability to secure his release with a bond.
Murillo-Antunez stands accused of four counts of attempted homicide, and is also facing charges for reckless endangerment, committing a felony with a weapon, driving without a license, and 10 assault charges.
According to WKRN News 2, two juveniles were injured in the attack, while bullets struck four vehicles Murillo-Antunez allegedly fired as he drove.
While Murillo-Antunez (pictured above) is now held on an ICE detainer, Davidson County clerk records suggest he was given a bond for each of the 17 charges levied against him. The records do not indicate which judicial magistrate assigned the bond.
News of the arrest, and Murillo-Antunez’s reported immigration status, were shared nationally by the Republican National Committee (RNC) on the social media platform X.
“An illegal alien has been arrested in Tennessee after a six-mile shooting spree hit four people, including two minors,” the RNC Research account wrote in a post to X. “This is happening BECAUSE of Kamala Harris — and nobody is safe so long as she’s in office.”
An illegal alien has been arrested in Tennessee after a six-mile shooting spree hit four people, including two minors.
This is happening BECAUSE of Kamala Harris — and nobody is safe so long as she's in office.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL SEND THE ILLEGALS BACK. pic.twitter.com/dVg7ucVtoL
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 26, 2024
The incident marks the third alleged crime involving defendants accused of being in Tennessee illegally to receive national attention so far in September.
Most recently, a man charged with murder in Cleveland, Tennessee, was apprehended in Texas, just 30 miles from the southern border. Earlier in the month, an illegal immigrant was accused of assaulting another man with a pickaxe in Knoxville.
Polling shows illegal immigration remains a top issue for Americans ahead of the November elections, with nearly half the country calling the number of migrants entering the United States a “critical threat” in an August survey.
Later that month, another survey showed nearly half the country’s voters expect illegal immigration would increase if Vice President Kamala Harris secures the White House. A third poll found a majority of voters said the opposite would occur under former President Donald Trump, with illegal immigration likely to decline under the Republican.
The former president has promised to enact the largest mass deportation operation in the country’s history if elected, and a survey released this month showed the majority of voters now support this idea.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
