Tourist dead, family hurt after pedestrian crash in downtown Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 66-year-old man was killed and three others were injured in a chain-reaction crash in downtown Nashville late Thursday night.

The crash happened around 11:45 p.m. near the intersection of Fourth Avenue North and Commerce Street.

Metro police reported a maroon Mercedes C30 sped through a red light and hit a van that was operating as a ride share and loading passengers into the vehicle on Commerce Street.

According to court documents, officers reviewed surveillance video that showed the Mercedes driving in the bicycle lane and onto the sidewalk before it hit four pedestrians and a parked Ford Explorer.

📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →

Leroy Wienke, of Westfield, Wisconsin was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died. His wife and sister-in-law were also hit and taken to Vanderbilt with non-life threatening injuries. A passenger in the Mercedes was also hospitalized with minor injuries.

The driver — identified as 25-year-old John A. Williams — was taken into custody and charged with vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and vehicular assault. His bond was set at $105,000.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

Court documents show Thursday was Williams’ 25th birthday. Officers noted multiple bottles of tequila were located inside the Mercedes. According to a release, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol when speaking to Williams, who had slurred speech, red, bloodshot, watery eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. There was also an obvious odor of marijuana inside the Mercedes, per Metro police.

No additional information was immediately released.

📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.
📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.
💻 Find today’s top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story . WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.