A Florida man has been charged in the stabbing death of a Nashville woman at a bus stop

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Nashville Police Department has charged a 42-year-old Florida man in a fatal stabbing Friday morning at a WeGo bus stop.

MNPD homicide detectives have issued a warrant charging Roy Lomax Gardner in the death of a 38-year-old Nashville woman at a bus stop on Harding Place at Antioch Pike in South Nashville.

Police said Gardner was carrying a Florida ID issued in April 2024 that listed an address in North Fort Myers. He has a criminal record including arrests in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. MNP does not know when Gardner arrived in Nashville.

The victim has been tentatively identified as a Nashville resident, but confirmed identification is pending.

Police said the investigation shows that Gardner and the victim were sitting next to each other on a bus stop bench. When the WeGo bus pulled up at about 5:15 a.m., Gardner and the woman stood up

Unreleased surveillance video shows that, according to MNPD, as the victim gathered her belongings and began to approach the bus, Gardner allegedly attacked and began stabbing her. Police said the victim started screaming, which attracted the attention of residents of a nearby market parking lot.

Bystanders ran up and subdued Gardner, holding him to the ground until police arrived. The victim was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she later died. A Florida man is being treated for injuries at VUMC.

“He is under police protection, and after leaving the hospital he will be taken to prison and charged with murder,” the MNP said. “Detectives have not been able to talk to Gardner in detail. His motives for attacking the victim are unknown.”