Man with Multiple Felony Convictions Arrested for Thursday Morning Shooting

Specialized Investigations Division detectives Thursday night arrested Tennessee convicted felon John M. Denton, 55, for the shooting earlier in the day that critically wounded Derrick Duffey, 19, outside WoodSpring Suites motel on Metroplex Drive in South Nashville.

Denton is jailed in lieu of $250,000 bond on charges of attempted criminal homicide, gun possession by a convicted felon, felony reckless endangerment, and using a gun to commit a dangerous felony.

The investigation shows that Duffey had accompanied a friend to meet Denton over a debt Denton supposedly owed. Duffey said when his friend and Denton became involved in a scuffle, he got between them to break up the fight. Duffey said Denton then went to his pickup truck, retrieved a pistol and fired multiple shots from a distance of less than six feet. Duffey suffered gunshot wounds to one of his legs and his shoulder. Duffey's friend drove him to Southern Hills Medical Center. He was then transferred to Vanderbilt.

Thursday night, TITANS detectives learned Denton was at a relative's home on Brush Hill Road. He was stopped and arrested as he drove away from the property.

At the time of his arrest Thursday night, Denton was free on bond stemming from a February 20 arrest on felony cocaine and evidence tampering charges. He has multiple prior convictions for offenses including aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, attempted voluntary manslaughter, and theft.