COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WKRN) — New information about a dangerous man now behind bars in Maury County.
Devin Rice, 26, is accused of shooting at multiple occupied homes with families inside, as well as firing wildly at pursuing Columbia police officers.
He is also the prime suspect in a brazen convenience store robbery where he allegedly pointed a gun at the clerk and a customer and then later opened fire, breaking out windows and shattering glass inside and outside the store.
To call Rice a one-man crime spree is almost an understatement. Of 19 charges, which include reckless endangerment and aggravated assault, he has seven charges of attempted first-degree murder.
News 2 has obtained surveillance photos from Oct. 1 that show a gunman, now identified as Rice, pointing a handgun at the clerk inside the Zip Mart store on Hatcher Lane.
According to the police affidavit, the 26-year-old suspect demanded the money from the clerk,
then walked out with a 12-pack of Coors Light.
A few minutes later, Rice reportedly drove back to the store parking lot and opened fire, per the report. Bullets tore through the front of the store, breaking glass outside and within.
The store manager, Mike Patel, told News 2 that the gunman waited until the store was empty, then came in, went to the beer cooler, picked up a 12-pack, and came to the counter: “He came to the counter, the employee is my brother, so he is asking for ID and he doesn’t have ID and then he pulls out the gun from his back pocket.”
Police quickly got behind the robbery suspect and, according to the affidavit, Rice fired multiple shots at multiple law enforcement officers.
The Columbia Police Department told News 2, officers did not return gunfire. Thankfully, nobody was hit by bullets.
Arrest documents indicate Rice rammed multiple Maury County squad cars as well.
Video obtained by News 2 showed the end of the chase as an officer pits Rice. Multiple shots are heard being fired—and then Rice went into the ditch.
Rice is in the Maury County jail, being held on an almost $2 million bond.
News 2 asked for an interview but the suspect refused that request.
The bulk of these crimes took place early morning on Oct. 1, but arrest records also date back to March 15 and indicate that Rice fired multiple shots into multiple homes filled with multiple people. Again, thankfully, nobody was hurt.
