The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating another officer-involved shooting this week, this time in Nashville.
“At the request of 20th Judicial District Attorney General Glenn Funk, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Monday evening in Davidson County,” TBI said in a press release.
The law enforcement agency said that on Monday night, Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers were dispatched to the scene of an altercation that escalated into a hostage situation in the Antioch neighborhood.
“Reports from the scene indicate that responding officers entered the home and attempted to speak to the subject through a door for a period of time,” according to the release. “When they heard screaming inside, they entered the room and encountered the subject with a large knife, coming toward them.”
That’s when the MNPD officer, who had not been identified by TBI, fired his weapon, killing 30-year-old Joshua Kersey.
The city of Nashville provided an update Monday afternoon, naming South Precinct Officer Cole Ranseen as the officer who killed Kersey, and said Kersey was “was shot by an officer as Kersey struggled with a housemate he had been holding hostage at knifepoint. South Precinct Officer Cole Ranseen breached the bedroom door with other officers after they heard the struggle.”
“The officers had attempted to negotiate with Kersey through the closed bedroom door for some 40 minutes,” according to the city.
The city said that Kersey’s sister called 911 because Kersey took her car and began to drive off. However, he quickly returned home and engaged in a “heated argument” with his family members, including his sister, mother and four children.
It is routine for TBI to investigate officer-involved shootings on behalf of the state’s district attorneys.
The law enforcement agency plays the fact-finding role and presents the facts of its investigations to the relevant district attorney. It does not recommend whether charges should be filed in any officer-involved shooting.
“At this time, this investigation remains active and ongoing,” TBI said. “TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews.”
TBI is still investigating the Oct. 3 shooting involving Knox County Deputy Sheriff Tucker Blakeley, who was killed in the line of duty in Knoxville while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
The suspect in that case, 30-year-old Matthew Logan Rose, was shot and killed on the scene.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on X / Twitter.
Photo “Crime Scene Tape” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 4.0.
