As protests over George Floyd’s death and police brutality continue in all 50 states — as well as internationally in locations including London, Beirut and provinces in Syria — it’s important to remember that Nashville has a history of police brutality and racism.
Nashville made headlines during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and often not in a positive way. U.S. Rep. John Lewis and former Metro Councilmember Kwame Lillard protested during sit-ins at local restaurants and were arrested and harassed by police and citizens. Since then, police shootings and instances of brutality have continued to pile up, some even sparking international outrage.
Below is an abbreviated timeline that outlines some of these cases.
Dec. 2, 1962: John Lewis is carried out of Herschel’s Tic Toc Restaurant, police holding his feet and arms, and loaded into a police van after refusing to leave. Lewis attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and later became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
April 1, 1963: Nashville and Davidson County are consolidated to form the Metropolitan Government of Nashville after approving the merger in June 1962.
Nov. 23, 1973: White police officers shoot and kill Ronald Lee Joyce, an unarmed 19-year-old college student, after an alleged burglary call that turns out to be a dice game. Joyce was shot in the back of the head while fleeing the scene. Hundreds of Nashvillians protest as a result of his death.
March 13, 1990: Metro Officer Bill Sneed shoots and kills Jacques Brooks while sitting inside his patrol car. Sneed had responded to a domestic abuse call, and Brooks stood outside his car holding a kitchen knife. Sneed shot Brooks, who was mentally ill, four times. Metro officials settled a civil suit with Brooks’ family, and Sneed was later promoted to lieutenant.
Dec. 14, 1992: Five white officers attack Black police Officer Reginald Miller after a traffic stop, claiming they mistook him for a “john” in a prostitution ring. Miller was beaten severely while working his first undercover sting. Two of the officers were fired.
Dec. 17, 2000: Police fatally shoot East Nashville resident Timothy Lane during a domestic violence call. Lane’s niece Gicola Lane later became a community activist and went on to help found the Metropolitan Community Oversight Board.
March 12, 2010: Officer Joe Shelton shoots and kills unarmed burglary suspect Reginald Wallace. Wallace was shot while reaching into his pocket. Shelton said Wallace pulled out a shiny object — it turned out to be an iPod. Shelton was later transferred to the Metro Police Training Academy to teach “conflict resolution, de-escalation techniques, and firearm proficiency.”
Jocques Scott Clemmons
Feb. 10, 2017: Officer Joshua Lippert shoots and kills Jocques Scott Clemmons, a 31-year-old Black man and a father, during a chase following an attempted traffic stop. Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk declined to charge Lippert, saying the officer had a legitimate self-defense claim because he fired only after seeing Clemmons drop and retrieve a handgun.
Daniel Hambrick
July 26, 2018: Officer Andrew Delke shoots and kills 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick during a foot chase. Officer Delke shot Hambrick in the back as he was fleeing, with MNPD later tweeting a photo of the gun they say Hambrick was carrying. Delke has since been charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial. He is the first MNPD officer ever to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting.
May 14, 2020: Nashville’s Community Oversight Board releases a media alert that MNPD had shot and injured a domestic violence suspect without proper notification of the incident per COB regulations. Because of this, the COB was not able to respond to the scene.
