George Ivory Pleads Guilty to Shooting Man Over $60 Crack Dispute

George Ivory, 27, known as GI, admitted in federal court today that he shot a 62-year-old man three times — including once in the head — over a $60 crack cocaine sale in North Nashville. The attack occurred May 1, 2015, near 16th Avenue North and Buchanan Street, when the victim attempted to buy drugs from another dealer. Ivory demanded the man buy from him instead. When the man refused, Ivory beat him and his female companion with a handgun, robbed him, then opened fire. The victim survived but was blinded and suffers lasting physical trauma.

Ivory, a felon with prior state convictions for facilitation of second-degree murder and sexual battery without consent in 2010, fled the scene and dumped the firearm into the Cumberland River. He was later arrested and charged federally with robbery affecting interstate commerce, discharging a firearm during a violent felony, possessing ammunition as a felon, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Under a binding plea agreement, Ivory faces 25 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

The investigation into Ivory’s actions led directly to the arrest of Anthony Laquesha Coleman, 30, aka Scrappy. On March 23, 2015, Coleman was selling crack cocaine near a residence in the same North Nashville area when the homeowner and her friend confronted him, demanding he stop dealing near their home. Coleman responded by retrieving a loaded pistol from an associate and threatening both women. He then entered a rooming house across the street, still armed and in possession of drugs.

One of the women called Metro Nashville police, reporting that children were present during the confrontation. Officers arrived quickly, arresting Coleman after he attempted to ditch the gun and narcotics. Coleman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. His prior felony record qualifies him as a Career Offender under federal sentencing guidelines, securing a 20-year prison term under a separate plea deal.

Both cases stemmed from persistent drug-related violence in North Nashville’s 16th and Buchanan corridor, a long-troubled hotspot for open-air drug markets and gun crime. The probe was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, whose joint efforts targeted repeat offenders operating in residential zones. Authorities emphasized that the presence of children during Coleman’s threat elevated the severity of the charges.

Assistant United States Attorneys Sunny A.M. Koshy and Ahmed Safeeullah prosecuted the cases in the Middle District of Tennessee. U.S. Attorney David Rivera stated, ‘These defendants chose to profit from fear and violence in a neighborhood already ravaged by crime. Today’s guilty pleas deliver justice — but also serve as a warning: federal consequences for gun and drug crimes in our communities are severe and inescapable.’