NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police plans to spend thousands of dollars to boost public support for a white police officer charged with first degree murder in the death of an armed black man.
Nashville Officer Andrew Delke shot 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick from behind during a foot chase in July.
The first ad of the campaign features a photo of a semiautomatic pistol and the words, “This is the same loaded gun that was pointed at Officer Delke.”
Prosecutors say Hambrick didn’t point his gun at the 25-year-old officer, but Delke’s defense attorneys say he did.
A news release about the ad calls the district attorney’s decision pursue a murder charge “politically motivated.”
A spokesman for the prosecutor says they don’t comment on pending criminal cases.