U-Haul Worker Empties Gun Into Colleague's Back Over a Drink, Grabs His Bag and Leaves

A 56-year-old U-Haul worker was shot multiple times in the back and killed after walking away from a workplace argument over a drink, with police saying his co-worker then put the gun away, picked up his bag and left the building.

Fredrick K. Lytton was fatally shot at the U-Haul facility on Annex Avenue in West Nashville shortly after 5 p.m. on 4 August. Police arrested co-worker Devin A. Rice, 23, the following day and charged him with criminal homicide.

Police said Rice admitted during an interview at headquarters that he had argued with Lytton over a drink before the shooting. Lytton was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center after the attack and later died.

Lytton Had Already Walked Away

The confrontation began over a drink that Rice had bought for Lytton, according to the police account provided in the case. The argument was verbal, and Lytton walked away from Rice and returned towards his workstation.

Rice then approached Lytton from behind and opened fire. The account says Rice continued firing into Lytton's back before putting the gun away and picking up his bag.

He then left the U-Haul facility. The reported sequence is the detail that distinguishes the case from a confrontation in which both people continued fighting. Lytton had already disengaged from the argument before the shooting occurred.

Police Found Lytton With Multiple Gunshot Wounds

Officers responding to the U-Haul found Lytton suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They gave him emergency aid before he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later died, police said.

The shooting happened shortly after 5 p.m. at the Annex Avenue business. Metro Nashville Police Department identified the victim as Lytton. Detectives from the department's Titans Division investigated the killing.

Rice Returned to the Police Station

Rice was arrested on 5 August, about a day after the shooting. Police said he admitted shooting Lytton during an interview at police headquarters.

He was charged with criminal homicide. The charge is an allegation and does not amount to a conviction. Police have identified the argument over the drink as the dispute immediately preceding the shooting, and the public reporting reviewed does not describe a separate motive.

The Shooting Happened Inside the Workplace

Lytton and Rice were co-workers at the U-Haul facility in West Nashville. The shooting therefore unfolded inside a workplace rather than after the pair had left the business.

U-Haul's employee policies prohibit firearms on company premises, according to the information supplied for the case.

The publicly available local report does not state how Rice obtained the firearm or how he brought it into the building. Police have not publicly described a longer-running feud between the two men in the reporting reviewed.

Case Focuses on Moments After the Argument

The investigation has focused on the dispute between the two co-workers and what happened after Lytton walked away. Detectives are also examining the sequence of events inside the building before and after the shooting.

Police said Rice left the scene after the gunfire. He was arrested the next day as investigators continued to build the case.

The case does not currently indicate that the shooting was part of a wider attack. Police have not reported any additional suspects in connection with Lytton's death.

Workplace Shooting Renews Focus on Gun Access

The killing adds to a wider US pattern of firearms violence inside workplaces, where disputes can escalate when a gun is present. Employers often maintain policies restricting firearms on company property, but enforcement and state laws vary.

Tennessee law permits adults who meet certain legal requirements to carry firearms without a permit, although restrictions apply in designated locations and under specific circumstances. The law governing possession of a firearm on private business property can also depend on the owner's policies and posted restrictions.

Those broader rules do not establish how Rice obtained or carried the weapon in this case. Police have not publicly disclosed whether any separate weapons offence will be added to the criminal homicide charge.