Charles Connor, 53, has a lengthy criminal past and has been arrested 67 times for various charges.Charles Glen Connor, 53, has been arrested dozens of times since 1994 in Davidson County.More >>
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
A 53-year-old Madison man faces multiple charges after police said he shot two hostages and fired at a police officer early Monday morning.
Victim Kevin Lowe told investigators he drove Fancy Luckey to Charles Connor's apartment at the River Retreat Apartments on Cheyenne Boulevard and an argument between the three broke out.
A neighbor called police at 12:30 a.m. to report hearing a loud argument and shots fired inside Connor's apartment.
Patrol officers arrived and made emergency entry into the apartment but quickly exited after seeing a gunman and hostage.
SWAT officers responded and established a perimeter.
Additional shots were heard around 1:45 a.m. and SWAT officers entered the apartment.
Connor shot at Officer John Hutcheson who returned fire but did not strike anyone. Officer Hutcheson was not injured.
Connor had an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his foot and was taken into custody. He was treated and released into police custody.
Luckey, 36, and Lowe, 49, were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where Lowe was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Luckey was shot in the chest and was last listed in critical but stable condition.
Police said there was evidence of drug use inside the apartment.
Connor has been arrested over 40 times with convictions for assault, reckless endangerment with a motor vehicle, DUI, and unlawful weapon and drug possession.
Former prosecutor Anton Jackson, now a partner at MacKenzie Jackson PLC, points out most of Connor's prior convictions were low level misdemeanors.
"It's absolutely frustrating and it's really a breakdown of the system," said Jackson.
"It's not necessarily the judicial system, but the societal system. Once these people are released there's not a mechanism to reestablish themselves into normal society."
He said the majority of habitual offenders do not escalate to the level of violence Connor exhibited Monday morning.
"I don't know what the answer is. You can't punish people for what they potentially could do."
Connor faces charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault, among others, for Monday's incident.
