A Tennessee bar owner was tragically killed after a customer, previously banned for life, allegedly returned and opened fire in the parking lot.
William Charles Thomas Sullivan, 24, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of beloved bar owner Randy Croft.
According to a police affidavit, Sullivan was ejected from the Double CC Bar & Grill near Athens on the evening of Friday, Sept. 19, following an incident involving a knife, ABC9 reported.
After being removed, Sullivan’s girlfriend drove him home before returning to the bar. Sullivan allegedly then got a ride back from a neighbor and retrieved a handgun he had left in his girlfriend’s car, according to the police affidavit, Local3News reported.
“He was back there out in the dark, out in the parking lot in a ravine area, and fired some shots at some other bar patrons,” McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy told PEOPLE. “So that caused them to go back inside and tell people that someone was in the parking lot.”
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Guy said Croft jumped in his pickup truck and drove toward the parking lot, where he was shot.
“There were additional gunshots heard, and as my deputies arrived moments later, Mr. Croft’s truck pulled out and took off traveling westbound,” Guy said. “Some of my officers took pursuit of the truck. Others stayed at the scene and located Mr. Croft’s body.”
According to the affidavit, Sullivan allegedly admitted to firing several shots at Croft “until his handgun went empty,” ABC9 reported.
He is being held in the McMinn County Jail on a murder charge, the sheriff confirmed, WBIR reported.
“I will not be opening the bar back up… I can’t,” Croft’s wife, Stephanie, shared on Facebook on Sept. 20. “It killed my Randy and I just can’t stand to be there.”
