BWI Helps Win Not-Guilty Verdict in High-Profile Pharmacy Burger Security Guard Case

In October 2018, a hail of gunfire erupted outside The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden in East Nashville as a group of men shot at each other with semiautomatic weapons.

Frightened restaurant patrons ran for cover as at least one bullet from the gun battle whizzed through the restaurant, penetrating the manager’s office and food prep area. A father handed his 3-year-old son to a restaurant manager, begging her to save his child’s life. They hid in the restaurant’s dry storage and prayed together.

Restaurant security guard Nathan Glass inched open the restaurant’s door and shot and killed DeAngelo Knox, one of the armed men who had been shooting at others before he appeared to run toward the restaurant. The incident set off a political firestorm in Nashville and attracted national media attention.

Nearly five years later, in August 2023, a jury agreed that security guard Nathan Glass acted in self-defense and defense of others, finding him not guilty of a second-degree murder charge.

Berry-Waltz Investigations (BWI) of Nashville, TN, was part of the defense team, with investigator Stephanie Alexander identifying and tracking down key witnesses and crime scene investigator Johnny Lawrence reconstructing and analyzing the crime scene.

“One of the heartbreaking aspects of the case was how many people were traumatized by the shooting before our client stepped in to protect them,” attorney Ben Raybin said. “Stephanie talked to everyone she could find to identify the strongest witnesses we could present to the jury. One of them described the harrowing moments when she helped rescue a child and he began praying with her. It brought tears to my eyes, and I know I was not the only one.

“A lot of other investigators might not have been as thorough enough to uncover such important information, but Stephanie left no stone unturned,” Ben Raybin said.

Pharmacy Burger Case Embroiled In Controversy

The years-long case was punctuated by controversy and allegations of racism. Nathan Glass, who is white, was hired as a Metro Nashville police officer after he shot DeAngelo Knox, who was Black.

Nathan had applied to the police academy prior to the shooting. His hiring was put on hold during the initial shooting investigation, and he was allowed to attend the police academy after Assistant District Attorney Pam Anderson announced that prosecutors wouldn’t pursue charges against Nathan Glass. However, that assistant DA was later fired, and Nathan Glass was indicted on a second-degree murder charge in November 2020. He later resigned from the department.

“The jury spoke, and what they told us is that Pam Anderson was right in her decision and that Nathan Glass acted to protect the people that he was charged to protect,” defense attorney David Veile told The Associated Press after the trial.

Anguished Restaurant Patrons Waited Years To Tell Their Stories, Described ‘War Zone’

Defense attorneys said restaurant patrons and employees provided crucial testimony that painted a complete picture of the incident. BWI private investigator Stephanie Alexander was critical in identifying and organizing witnesses, defense attorney Ben Raybin said.

Stephanie said the restaurant manager and patrons she tracked down had been waiting for five years to tell their stories to a jury. They consider Nathan Glass a hero and said he yelled for everyone in the restaurant to get down and run to safety as he went to the door and put himself between them and danger.

“The people who lived through this, they described it as a war zone. It weighed on them very heavily,” Stephanie said. “They wanted to support Nate for doing his job and saving their lives. Their stories were very impactful. I think they really made the difference.”

BWI crime scene analyst Johnny Lawrence spent hours recreating the crime scene and tracking bullet trajectories.

“I took a lot of photographs and did a lot of measurements to help reconstruct the scene to give the attorneys a better idea of the positioning of the gunmen and then assisted with interpreting what the video cameras were showing,” Johnny said.

“A projectile went through the manager’s office into the food prep area, and this restaurant was full of people. There were a lot of shots being fired by multiple semiautomatic weapons, so it was a pretty scary event. You had at least four people shooting at each other in the intersection, and then there were six innocent people walking outside and caught in the middle of the shooting. The people dining at The Pharmacy were put right into the line of fire,” Johnny said.

Ben Raybin, one of three defense lawyers on the case, said Johnny’s crime scene reconstruction and trial testimony helped in three important ways: “First, he helped the attorneys unpack and understand the significant amount of forensic evidence provided in the discovery. Second, he assisted us in coming up with our theory of the case based on things the police had already found as well as information he identified on his own. Third, he presented our theory and supportive facts in a way that was clear and understandable to the jury.”

“Forensic evidence was critical in our case because the exact amount of distances, angles, and gunshots had great significance to the case theories of both sides, and Johnny’s work allowed us to prove that all of those best supported our side,” Ben said.

BWI’s Expertise Rounded Out Excellent Defense Team

Stephanie and Johnny said they appreciated being part of the incredible defense team and praised the attorneys – David Veile, David Raybin, and Ben Raybin – for doing a particularly stellar job. “I was really honored to be a part of this defense team and see them prevail,” Stephanie said. “It was great teamwork.”

Still, Stephanie can’t help but think the case was a gross misuse of the justice system.

“Everyone has their opinions about this case and about Nathan, but an ADA lost her job over it. A young man lost his career. It was crazy how some people tried to make out the person wielding an AK-47 shooting into a crowd of people as a victim,” she said.

Ben Raybin said he appreciated BWI’s impactful work for the defense team.

“The best value of BWI is how comprehensive their work is for each investigator individually and how they work collectively as a team,” he said. “BWI is a full-service firm that provides nearly all the forensic and investigative services we need on our cases. They are responsive, thorough, and produce information we would not have been able to obtain on our own. They are truly invaluable for any complex litigation.”

For more information, contact BWI at (615) 646-0860 or fill out this form. To reach attorney Ben Raybin, please call (615) 256-6666 or fill out the following form.