Prosecutors in Tennessee have charged a Nashville cop who was seen in a graphic video gunning down a fleeing Black man, two months after the fatal shooting.
The district attorney’s office filed a criminal homicide charge against Officer Andrew Delke on Thursday for killing 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick, hitting him twice in the back and once in the back of the head.
Delke surrendered to authorities but was released shortly on $25,000 bond. Meanwhile, the local police union has vowed to fight to the end in the officer’s defense. The Nashville Fraternal Order of Police argued that Delke was defending himself because he saw Hambrick holding a handgun during the chase. However, the video did not appear to show Hambrick carrying a weapon.
On July 26, Delke approached the vehicle Hambrick was in, saying he believed it was the same car he said he saw earlier that day driving erratically, according to police investigators. Hambrick and two others fled from the officer.
Surveillance video, released by the prosecutor, showed 25-year-old Delke chasing Hambrick. The officer opens fire on Hambrick, who did not appear to turn toward Delke. After firing multiple times, the officer circled the dying man while continuing to point his weapon at him.
