According to Metro Police, MNPD officers, THP troopers & an off-duty Mt Juliet officer fatally shot a 37-yr-old man who had been walking along the Interstate.
UPDATE 8 PM – In a press conference held earlier this evening Don Aaron, Public Affairs Director for MPD, gave more details into Thursday’s incident.
As explained by Aaron, around 2pm Thursday, a THP trooper, traveling northbound on I-65, spotted a man sitting on the guardrail. The trooper tried to get the man off the interstate. At this point, the man “kinda pushed away from the trooper and produced a box cutter,” Aaron says.
The trooper then called Metro Police for assistance. While waiting for Metro Police to arrive, an off-duty Mt Juliet police officer traveling northbound on I-65 saw what was happening and stopped. Both the trooper and the Mt Juliet police officer talked to the man for about 30 minutes in hopes of de-escalating the situation, Aaron says.
Aaron says the man had the boxcutter in his left hand and his right hand was in his pocket.
Around 2:30pm, as the officers were talking to the man, the man pulled his right hand out of his pocket “holding a shiny, silver, cylindrical object. The officers, not knowing what that was, and given his very abrupt movement, kind-of aiming something towards the officers, the officers fired.”
A total of 9 law enforcement personnel fired on the individual – 6 Metro Police, 2 THP and the off-duty Mt Juliet officer, Aaron says.
The TBI will be conducted the full investigation.
UPDATE 4:00 PM – 2 southbound lanes of I-65 are open. Northbound lanes remain closed beginning at OHB.
I-65 is CLOSED in Nashville due to a reported officer-involved shooting on the interstate.
Please find an alternate route while the police investigate. SB lanes are closed at Harding Pl. and NB lanes are closed at Old Hickory Blvd.
Live traffic map at williamsonsource.com/traffic
Investigation underway on I-65 near Harding Pl after MNPD officers,THP troopers & an off-duty Mt Juliet officer fatally shot a 37-yr-old man who had been walking along the Interstate. 2 southbound lanes of I-65 are open. Northbound lanes remain closed beginning at OHB.
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) January 27, 2022
I-65 is CLOSED in Nashville due to a reported officer-involved shooting on the interstate. Please find an alternate route while the police investigate. SB lanes are closed at Harding Pl. and NB lanes are closed at Old Hickory Blvd. #slowdown #moveover pic.twitter.com/NVPQlGuhnH
— myTDOT (@myTDOT) January 27, 2022
Happening now: TBI special agents are responding to a report of an officer-involved shooting on I-65, south of Harding Place in Davidson County.
More information as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/9XL5LXRynN
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) January 27, 2022
