Nashville police shoot, kill suspect in Bellevue apartment in stabbing

Lina Portman1 week ago

0 2 minutes read

Nashville police, responding to a report of a stabbing at the Bellevue West Apartments, killed a man early Thursday after a confrontation at the scene.

Police were called to the Ridgelake Parkway apartment just after 4 a.m., Don Aaron, a department spokesman, said at a news conference Thursday morning.

“A 27-year-old man reported that his brother handed him a knife early this morning and cut him,” Aaron said.

The victim fled the apartment, trying to escape his 25-year-old brother.

Three officers responded quickly to the scene, Aaron said, and found the victim down a hill from the apartment. They then went to find the brother who had the knife.

“As they approached the apartment where the first altercation took place, in the dark, the 25-year-old came down the steps of the apartment complex from an alley very quickly,” Aaron said . “He approached the police very quickly. There were two police officers with tasers ready and another with his firearm ready. »

Aaron again pointed out that the suspect rushed toward the officers and with “a very large knife in his hand.”

“One of the officers shot him, fatally wounding him,” Aaron said.

Police Chief John Drake explained the danger a knife can pose to his officers.

“A very, very imminent threat presents itself to you when someone attacks you with a knife,” the chief said. “We're training and you really don't have a lot of time to react when someone approaches you with a bladed weapon.”

Drake said the suspect was a few feet away from officers before the shots were fired.

“They gave warnings, 'please stop, police,'” Drake said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the investigation into the shooting, Aaron said. At the time of the news conference, which was held just after 8:15 a.m., there were still about a dozen patrol cars in the apartment complex. Yellow police tape, attached to a tree and to the post of a pavilion housing mailboxes, cordoned off some buildings, blocking access to residents.

The older brother was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was making a statement to investigators at police headquarters at the time of the news conference, Aaron said.

Aaron and Drake did not provide details on the identity of the suspect or the officer, nor did they indicate how long the officer has been with the department. Those details will be released later, as will footage from the officers' body cameras, Aaron said.

Aaron also declined to say whether there was a history of domestic violence between the two brothers, or whether the younger brother was ever known to law enforcement. Aaron said those details would also be revealed later.

This is breaking news and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Lina Portman

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