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Deadly Force

WPLN News Investigates
In 2018, Andrew Delke, a white Nashville police officer, shot Daniel Hambrick, a Black man, while Hambrick was running away with a gun. Footage went viral. And, for the first time in the city's history, an officer was charged with murder. We delve into the details of the case, while zooming out to central questions about policing and race.
How we reported this story: Reporting for this podcast has spanned two years, starting the night Officer Andrew Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick. We conducted more than 15 hours of interviews and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. We spoke with the loved ones of Delke and Hambrick, as well as national policing experts, local activists, and current and former officers at the Metro Nashville Police Department. Learn more...

Episode 0: Prologue

Nine months before Nashville Officer Andrew Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick, he was criticized by his supervisors. But not for use of force. It was a night when Delke didn’t pull his gun.

Episode 1: The Intersection

The lives of two 25-year-old men — one a white police officer, the other a black man with a criminal history — change forever after meeting at a Nashville intersection.

Episode 2: Action Beats Reaction

Are police officers trained to kill? Find out on episode 2 of Deadly Force.

Episode 3: The Last Straw

When Officer Andrew Delke takes the stand, he won’t be the only one on trial; the police department, the city of Nashville, and their long, often messy struggle for civil rights, will also be front and center.

Episode 4: The Cost Of Change

Police reform is never quick or easy.

Pre-Trial Hearings: Prosecution And Defense Spar Over Evidence

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Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke was back in court in mid-June for the third in a series of hearings leading up to his murder trial in July.

One Year Later: Catching You Up On What’s Happened Since Deadly Force Launched

Deadly Force host Samantha Max chats with WPLN host Marianna Bacallao about what’s happened in Nashville since the podcast aired last July, including the naming of a new police chief and the shootings of five men by police.

Expert Interview: Nashville Commander Discusses How Police Are Trained To Use Force

Commander Scott Byrd took on the role of Metro Nashville Police’s director of training during a leadership change last year, and he’s tried to establish himself as a reformer who’s committed to improving how Nashville police officers are trained. But the recent spate of shootings has put those promises to the test.

Expert Interview: Criminologist Says Murder Charge For Police Is Rare

After Officer Andrew Delke was charged with murder in 2019, host Samatha Max called up Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University to talk through how rare it is for an officer to face such a serious charge. Delke is the first Nashville police officer charged with murder for an on-duty shooting — and one […]

Expert Interview: What To Expect During Murder Trial Of Nashville Police Officer

As a defense attorney who also spent more than a decade in the Nashville District Attorney’s office, Jim Todd seen the legal system from both sides. But next week, it won’t be an ordinary civilian going on trial. It’ll be a Nashville police officer, the first to be charged with murder for an on-duty killing.

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