Vickie Hambrick, center, mother of Daniel Hambrick, listens during a preliminary hearing for Nashville Police officer Andrew Delke at the Justice A.A. Birch Building Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Delke is charged with criminal homicide for the on-duty shooting of Daniel Hambrick. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A white Nashville police officer told investigators that he knew “100 percent” that the black man he’s charged with fatally shooting intended to shoot at him and possibly others.
Prosecutors played the state investigator’s interview with Andrew Delke, 25, in a Nashville courtroom Friday, where dozens of police officers packed in to support Delke. The officers sat across from rows of family members and others there to advocate for Daniel Hambrick, the 25-year-old who died in the shooting as he ran from Delke and held a pistol.
The shooting death has reignited questions about policing of Nashville’s black community. The outcry stirred enough support to place a question on the city’s November ballot about creating a citizen oversight board for the police force, and voters approved the measure widely.
A judge is considering whether there is probable cause to pass the case on to a grand jury, an early but critical step in the process. Friday’s five-hour hearing on the matter will spill over into Saturday and the judge is expected to make a decision Monday.
In his interview, Delke said he relied on his training when Hambrick didn’t heed his instructions to drop the gun, including warning that Delke would otherwise shoot, and the weapon at some point faced the officer.