Nashville police fatally shoots man while he was holding a person hostage in the bedroom
By: Newly released body camera footage involving Nashville police showed officers going through a bedroom door before ultimately killing an Antioch man.
Officers were dispatched to Split Oak Trail for a domestic disturbance around 8 p.m. Metro Nashville Police Department officers said during the call, 30-year-old Joshua Kersey’s sister said he got drunk, took her car keys and left the home. This later unraveled into Kersey hiding in a bedroom with a hostage.
"You're not in trouble buddy," the officer said. "We are concerned for you."
Police proceeded to talk to Kersey for 40 minutes, even calling him. The phone later slid out from under the door. Kersey made remarks to officers saying he didn't want to talk to "a pig."
"If you open the door, I will kill him," Kersey said during a verbal exchange with officers.
The video shows that police later heard what was described as "a struggle" by MNPD Public Affairs Director Don Aaron near the closed bedroom door when officers yelled at each other: "We gotta go, we gotta go."
Police then entered the room with their weapons drawn and asked to see Kersey's hands. Kersey and the person described as the hostage can be seen falling to the floor as officers entered.
Kersey screamed that "he hit me" as he was lying with his back on the floor. The video shows the police shoot him, while ordering Kersey to "drop it." According to Aaron, officers then rendered medical aid until an ambulance could arrive.