Witness beaten after MNPD reveals her location. “Regrettable misunderstanding”, says Nashville Police.

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31-year-old Allen Shull is charged with felony aggravated assault after he, along with others, severely beat a witness who called police to report them fighting in the parking lot of an apartment complex. The witness requested that her identity not be revealed, and not to be contacted, however, Nashville Police officers walked from the suspects’ apartment to her apartment, leading the assailants directly to her front door. Police say it was a “regrettable misunderstanding”.

Allen Shull remains jailed on a $15,000 bond after his Wednesday night arrest on an outstanding warrant from June of 2020, charging him with the felony aggravated assault of a woman that initially called police to report he was fighting with others in the shared parking lot of the apartment complex they both lived in. Two others were involved in the retaliatory assault, including Shull’s sister, Tiffany Hull, and a white female known as ‘Sara’.

The initial call came into the ECC (Emergency Communications Center) in mid-June of 2020, from a female witnessing a fight in the parking lot. Police say she reported that one of the persons involved in the fight had pulled a firearm on her boyfriend in the past, and relayed that she did not wish to be contacted by officers or her identity revealed to the suspects in any way. She refused to provide her apartment number and declared her wish to remain uninvolved.

Officers responded to the scene, and when they didn’t locate any ongoing fight in the parking lot, made contact with the suspects at their reported residence, and with no ongoing illegal activity found, decided to check on the witness who called them there, despite her express wish to have no contact with officers and refusal of a callback from officers. Not knowing her apartment number, they asked a person at the complex if they knew “(witness name)”, and ascertained her apartment number, and knocked on her door. The witness was very upset that officers had approached her door from the scene, revealing her location to the suspects. MNPD called this a “regrettable misunderstanding” in a statement to Scoop: Nashville.

Allen Shull (MNPD)
Allen Shull (MNPD)

Shortly after officers left, there was another knock at the door of the witness. This time when she answered she was met with the three suspects from the initial fight call she had reported. A report details Allen Shull punched the witness in the face, while his sister, Tiffany Hull, began to assault her with a chair. All three suspects continued to beat the witness, causing multiple injuries throughout her body, mouth, and teeth – leaving her bleeding according to an arrest affidavit for Shull. Two sons of the witness were eventually able to pull their mother from the assailants.

Metro Police would not approve the release of the call, citing an ‘open prosecution’, but Public Affairs Officer Kristin Mumford did confirm that the witness “requested officer not come to her apartment”, and released the following statement in response to the inquiry:

“We have reviewed the calls and CAD and spoken with the Sergeant who supervised the response that evening back in June. The victim does indeed advise dispatch that she does not want contact with officers (she does not provide dispatch with her address and refuses a call back from officers). When officers arrived at the scene they found no illegal activity (fighting) in the parking lot or at the apartment in which the victim reported the suspects lived. The victim also reported that the same man had pulled a gun on her boyfriend in the past. Officers then asked a person at the apartment complex if they knew “(witness name)” and were told she was in apartment “xx“. With the victim’s safety in mind, due to the nature of the call, an aggravated assault and armed person, they subsequently knocked on her door to ascertain if she was ok. She was upset that officers were at her door. A regrettable misunderstanding.”

-Kristin Mumford, MNPD Public Affairs Officer

In an email, Metro also notes officers “were concerned for the victim’s safety”, and that while there is no specific that covers this specific situation, officers do often conduct investigations without contacting callers who report illegal activity when they request to not be contacted.

Below is a copy of the arrest warrant for Allen Shull, detailing the aggravated assault he is charged with. He currently remains jailed in lieu of a $15,000 bond. He is scheduled for a bond reduction hearing Friday. The other two suspects are not currently in custody.

Call / Text Kurt NOW! 615-479-0550

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