17-year-old twins shooting at car accidentally kill restaurant owner, TN cops say

Teenage twins are the suspects in a killing that happened when a passerby drove through gunfire intended for someone else, according to investigators in Tennessee.

The victim, Hwarang Joo, was leaving work Sunday, Nov. 24, when he was shot outside his restaurant on Bell Road in south Nashville, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported in a news release.

The twins, who are 17, are accused in the killing, police said.

“Joo had just left his business, Hot Stuff Chicken, and was pulling away in his Volkswagen SUV when gunfire erupted in the parking lot,” police said. “Joo was hit and the Volkswagen accelerated before crashing into a dental office.”

Detectives believe the brothers were firing “an AR-style rifle” at three people in a Dodge Charger when 39-year-old Joo was hit. Details of what caused a conflict were not released.

“Joo, who was not involved in the dispute whatsoever, was shot in the head,” police said. “The brothers fled in a Ford Taurus. The three persons in the Charger, who were not hit, also fled. Those individuals have been located and interviewed.”

One twin was arrested Nov. 28, but and the other was captured Dec. 6, police said. McClatchy News isn’t naming the brothers because they are being charged in juvenile court.

The two face “Juvenile Court petitions charging them with criminal homicide and three counts each of attempted criminal homicide,” police said.

This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 10:11 AM with the headline "17-year-old twins shooting at car accidentally kill restaurant owner, TN cops say."