A video released by the Nashville District Attorney’s Office confirms that officer Andrew Delke, who’s white, fatally shot a Black man, Daniel Hambrick, in the back as he ran away during a traffic stop.
Delke is now on administrative leave, but Hambrick’s family want him charged with homicide.
The surveillance footage from a nearby school, made public on Wednesday, shows what occurred on the evening of July 26. After pulling into an apartment complex, Delke jumps out of his car. Hambrick, age 25, runs as Delke, also age 25, follows about 20 to 30 feet behind him. While Hambrick continues to run away, it appears that Delke stops to position himself and aim his gun. Within seconds, Hambrick falls to the ground.
As Hambrick remains on the ground, Delke can be seen walking away with his gun drawn. After another officer arrives on scene, he appears to approach Hambrick.
Police have said Hambrick was armed, according to the Tennessean. However, the video doesn’t confirm that he was carrying a gun.
On the day of the shooting, officers with the department’s juvenile task force were looking for stolen vehicles in North Nashville. They said they spotted a car driving in an “erratic pattern,” according to CNN.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said Delke tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove away. Delke then said, he saw the same three men he had seen earlier in the car as he pulled into an apartment complex. By this time the men were out of the car.
According to TBI, Hambrick, who was likely the driver, turned and ran from the officer.
Nashville Mayor David Briley has called for a “comprehensive review” of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s policing strategies.
“I don’t know if there is anything worse that a mother can experience other than losing her child,” the mayor said.
Hambrick’s mother, Vickie, and other family members, as well as representatives of the Nashville chapter of the NAACP, were present at a press conference following the release of the video.
“He was a great child,” said Hambrick, with emotion. “I just want justice for my son. That’s all I ask for. And for all the young black guys and young women, I want justice for them.”
Hambrick’s family and the NAACP also asked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to immediately begin a civil rights investigation into the case and conduct a review of the Metro Nashville Police Department.
