Nashville Felon Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison Following 2024 Shooting at WeGo Bus Station

NASHVILLE – Shawn Terry Demont Newby, 44, of Nashville, was sentenced yesterday to 5 years in federal prison having previously pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.

“So many of our citizens use public transportation to get to school, go to work, and live their daily lives,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “They need to be able to do all of those things without fear of getting shot. Prosecutions like this hold shooters accountable and protect all of our community from random violence on public transportation.”

According to court documents, on the evening of January 6, 2024, Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers responded to a WeGo bus station at 3458 Dickerson Pike in Nashville to investigate a shooting. MNPD officers learned that a man, later identified as the defendant, discharged a firearm after a verbal altercation with someone near the bus stop. A security camera from the bus captured the shooting incident. The video recorded the defendant speaking with the bus driver, and telling the driver, “My name is Shawn Newby.” The bus driver and other witnesses told officers the defendant left the bus after the shooting incident.

Officers found Newby on a sidewalk near the bus station. As an MNPD officer approached him, Newby tossed a Taurus, model PT-22, .22 LR caliber, pistol onto the grass nearby, where MNPD officers found it. Officers also found .22 caliber shell casings around the bus where the shooting took place.

Newby previously had been convicted of felony offenses, including Voluntary Manslaughter, Reckless Endangerment with a Deadly Weapon and theft over $1,000, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm in Davidson County, Tennessee, Criminal Court.                           

Following his term of incarceration, Newby will be on supervised release for 3 years.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Herbert L. Bunton III prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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