NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A white Tennessee police officer was charged with criminal homicide Thursday after surveillance footage appeared to show him chasing a black man and opening fire as the man fled from the officer in July.
And a newly released arrest affidavit says the officer was looking for a reason to stop a white sedan, later mistakenly zeroed in on another car and then killed the armed fleeing man without knowing who he was or whether he was connected to either vehicle.
Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk said Thursday that he requested a warrant to charge officer Andrew Delke in the death of 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick. A General Sessions judge found probable cause and signed Delke’s arrest warrant after a magistrate judge ruled earlier Thursday that there wasn’t enough evidence.
The incident reignited questions about policing of Nashville’s black community. The outcry has stirred enough support to place a question on the city’s November ballot about creating a citizen oversight board for the police force.
Delke’s attorney, David Raybin, said Delke is out on $25,000 bail, will plead not guilty and his attorneys plan to “vigorously defend this case and put this matter to a jury.”