NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Police have arrested the man they say is responsible for the shooting death of 34-year-old Alyssa Lokits less than 24 hours after her death was first reported.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, investigative work by Homicide & Specialized Investigations detectives led to the arrest of Paul Park, 29, of Brentwood.
A video posted to the department’s X page just after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, showed Park being brought into custody inside Metro headquarters on Murfreesboro Pike.
Authorities reportedly took Park into custody after he was spotted driving on Autumn Crossing Way in Davidson County.
Lokits was killed after an attack on the Mill Creek Greenway off Old Hickory Boulevard at around 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, police said. According to police, a preliminary investigation indicated Lokits was walking on the trail at the time when Park stepped out between two vehicles and began following her “at a brisk pace.”
Witnesses reported hearing her yelling, “Help! He’s trying to rape me,” before they heard gunshots. They also reported seeing “a man, possibly Asian, on top of Lokits before shots were fired.”
After the shooting, detectives said Park was seen returning to his gray BMW sedan with scratches on his arm and blood on his clothing.
Lokits suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died.
Police said a major break in the case came Monday night from a resident who gave officers dashcam footage that was recorded from his vehicle at the greenway trailhead. The dashcam recorded clear images of Park and part of his BMW.
A second major break in the case came from a homicide detective Tuesday morning after she allegedly identified Park as the twin brother from a December 2021 suicide case. Specialized Division detectives said they set surveillance at Park’s Jupiter Forest Drive home in Brentwood and watched him until an arrest warrant was issued.
Park was taken to Metro headquarters and will be booked on the criminal homicide warrant Tuesday night, police said.
During a press conference, Metro police chief John Drake said that license plate readers would have assisted during the investigation and that technology keeps residents safer. Drake added that he had not found any type of criminal history for Park, especially of sexual assault.
“To be quite honest, what I was thinking last night when this happened — I was worried this could be a serial rapist or serial killer,” Drake said, responding to a question during the press conference. “I was worried this could be someone that could do this over and over. I’m so thankful that our people got on this.”
