Bailey Gardner dies in fatal Wilson County shooting.
Fatal Wilson County shooting death of Bailey Gardner, 27.
A jury in Wilson County reached a verdict on September 18th, convicting Adrian McClean, the 41-year-old defendant, of first-degree murder. The shooting death occurred on June 29th, 2024, just before dawn, outside Cedar Creek Marina on Saundersville Road. Police previously described the deceased man, Bailey Gardner, who was from Kansas, as an innocent bystander involved in the incident.
Court documents list the defendant’s name as Adrian McClean, noting a spelling variation for McLean in some records.
Prosecutors confirmed the identity of the victim as Bailey Gardner, a 27-year-old from Kansas. According to the prosecution, Mr. Gardner was shot while seated inside his vehicle during a robbery, near Cedar Creek Marina.
In addition to the murder conviction, McClean was found guilty of three counts of aggravated robbery by the district attorney general’s office. However, the other two individuals involved in the robbery remain unidentified or are still at large, according to District Attorney General Jason Lawson.
Mount Juliet police were dispatched to the marina’s restaurant on Cedar Creek Marina property shortly before the fatal shooting was reported.
According to information gathered by the police department at that time, three armed individuals ambushed staff members inside the restaurant. The suspects reportedly assaulted two employees and compelled them to break into a cash safe.
Prosecutors indicated that Bailey Gardner had arrived at the marina parking lot with a boat and was parked in his car when the incident occurred. Investigators believe one of the suspects approached Mr. Gardner’s vehicle, shooting him multiple times while he was in the driver’s seat.
Mount Juliet police confirmed that Bailey Gardner had no association with the robbery itself.
