Former Gideon's Army 'violence interrupter' gets four-year federal sentence stemming from shootout

Charles Brooks, 

By: Phil Williams,  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A former employee of the non-violence group Gideon's Army was sentenced Friday to four years in federal prison related to his role in a shootout last year in a North Nashville neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger handed down the 48-month sentence against Charles Brooks, 38, who had pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, as well as violating his probation from a 2014 conviction for illegal possession of a firearm. ....

Brooks had been hired by Gideon's Army to work in the Cumberland View public housing development as a "violence interrupter." The gun battle on April 6, 2021, was captured on surveillance video. Investigators recovered bullet casings, but never found the AK-47-style weapon, which explains why Brooks was not charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Brooks' defense attorney pointed to evidence that someone else fired the first shot, and the Gideon's Army employee shot back in self defense. (link)