A North Nashville woman recounts the moment people sought refuge in her home after a mass shooting on Jefferson St.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Calvin Lipscomb has been selling barbecue on Jefferson Street for a decade and has never missed a homecoming celebration.

After the parade took place on Saturday afternoon, everyone was out with their families and enjoying the day, he said. At around 5:30 p.m., the calm quickly turned into chaos.

“Then [gunfire] “It got louder and louder and people started running,” Lipscomb remembers.

According to Metro Police, two groups of people opened fire on each other, sending crowds running in all directions to avoid the gunfire. While some continued to run down the block, others sought refuge in nearby buildings.

Paula Thomas’ apartment was one of those places that people ran to.

“They were scared for their lives in here,” Thomas said. “But you can’t blame them.”

Thomas has lived on Jefferson Street for almost 10 years. She says while she has seen violence in her area, there was nothing like what she saw Saturday afternoon.

“The thought of celebrating basically disappeared,” Thomas said. “Bullets have no minds, they have no eyes. If you just shoot randomly, you don’t know who you’re going to hit.”

In total, 10 people were hit by more than 30 bullets fired. According to police, 24-year-old Vonquae Johnson was killed. Nine others were injured, including three young girls aged 12 to 14.

The community says while celebrating homecoming, the shooting cast a negative light on Tennessee State University, which they say was not involved.

“[Just] “The fact that it was TSU’s homecoming doesn’t mean TSU had anything to do with it,” Thomas said.

Police believe two people who are recovering in the hospital are involved in the mass shooting. On Saturday evening, police said they believed the people involved in the shooting were known to them from previous encounters with officers.

Neighbors on Jefferson Street say the most important thing is to end the carnage in their community.

“The violence must stop,” Thomas said. “The violence simply has to stop.”

WSMV reached out to Metro Police to see if conditions have been updated for the nine other victims. We are waiting for a response.

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