This post has been updated at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it has found a video showing some of the incident that ended with a man being shot by a police officer last night in North Nashville.
But questions remain about whether 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick was carrying a gun, as well as other key details. Nashville’s mayor cautions to “not rush to judgment.”
The TBI says the video confirms three men were traveling together in a vehicle when Officer Andrew Delke spotted them in a parking lot near the corner of 17th Avenue North and Jo Johnston Avenue. Police have said previously that Delke was following up on a report of stolen cars in the area.
According to the TBI, the video seems to show Hambrick getting out of the car and running from Delke with a “dark-colored object in his hand.” The TBI says agents later recovered a handgun at the scene.
But it’s not yet clear whether the gun belonged to Hambrick or if he had it on him when Delke opened fire several times. The TBI says it’s also trying to figure out what led Delke to shoot.
The TBI says medics transported Hambrick from the scene for treatment, but he died shortly after. No police were injured.
The agency did not say where it obtained the video, but it says there are some gaps. Delke was not wearing a body camera and his cruiser did not have a dashboard camera, police say. The TBI says it’s trying to locate additional video.
“We want to know, how exactly did this escalate from this officer reportedly seeing this individual emerge from a vehicle with a firearm to him actually firing his service weapon at this individual?” TBI spokesman Josh DeVine told reporters Thursday night. “That’s very much at the core of our investigation.”
Metro Police say Officer Andrew Delke is a member of the department’s Juvenile Crime Task Force. Delke is also 25 and graduated from the police academy in December 2016.
The TBI is leading the investigation rather than Metro Police because of an agreement dictating the state’s top law enforcement agency take over after any Metro officer fatally shoots someone. The agreement has been in place since 2017, after a Nashville police officer fatally shot a man in East Nashville.
In a statement, Mayor David Briley said he expects a “full investigation” from TBI.
“A loss of life under these circumstances is devastating for all concerned,” he said. “At this tragic moment, I hope everyone will wait for the facts and not rush to judgment.”
Original post’s headline: Metro Police Officer Fatally Shoots Man In North Nashville; TBI Is Investigating
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