Tag: Jocques Scott Clemmons

Justice for Jocques Coalition Angry With Nashville City Officials Over Officer Shooting

Wendy Wilson

The Justice for Jocques Coalition held a town hall meeting Saturday at which they slammed Nashville city officials for what they perceive as injustice in the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an armed black man. Officer Josh Lippert was found to be acting in self-defense in the Feb. 10 shooting of Jocques Scott Clemmons. Called “The People’s Town Hall,” Saturday’s event was held at First Baptist Church South Inglewood. City officials were invited to attend. District Attorney Glenn Funk and Mayor Megan Barry sent representatives who listened but referred concerns to Funk and Barry directly. The Metro Nashville Police Department did not send anyone. “When is the mayor going to be the mayor and handle the police chief?,” said Davie Tucker, pastor of Beech Creek Missionary Baptist Church, according to NewsChannel 5. “When is the DA going to be the DA and be the chief prosecutor in this jurisdiction and stop allowing the police to do it?” Clemmons was shot by Lippert at the Cayce Homes public housing development in East Nashville after the officer saw Clemmons run a stop sign, which led to a foot chase, physical confrontation and Clemmons pointing a gun toward the officer.…

Read the full story

Police Chief Steve Anderson Rebukes District Attorney’s Office For ‘Misstatements’ About Handling Of Officer Shooting

Wendy Wilson

Police Chief Steve Anderson has slammed the Nashville district attorney’s office for criticizing the police department’s handling of the Feb. 10 fatal shooting of an armed black man by a white officer acting in self-defense. In a report and at a press conference last week, officials with the district attorney’s office criticized the language the Metro Nashville Police Department used in a report and for supposedly concluding only several hours after the incident that the shooting was justifiable and saying the investigation was complete. While District Attorney Glenn Funk concluded that Officer Josh Lippert did act in self-defense in shooting Jocques Scott Clemmons, the report released by his office said the police department contributed to an appearance of bias in the case, which provoked a strong reaction in the community and raised questions of fairness. WKRN News 2 reported that in a letter Monday to Deputy District Attorney Amy Hunter, who spoke at the May 11 press conference, Anderson said his department had provided the district attorney’s office in advance with an explanation of the language used in the police report, adding that police follow guidelines from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Anderson said Hunter’s statement at the press conference, taken…

Read the full story

Nashville DA Calls Police ‘Insensitive’ For Using Word ‘Suspect’ To Describe Armed Black Man Shot By Officer

Wendy Wilson

  The Nashville district attorney’s office says police were “insensitive” when in their reports they referred to an armed black man shot by an officer in self-defense as a suspect. The criticism is found in a report issued last week by District Attorney Glenn Funk on the Feb. 10 shooting of Jocques Scott Clemmons by Josh Lippert, a white officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department. “Identifying the officer as the victim and Mr. Clemmons as the suspect sends a message that could be perceived as biased, and seems insensitive because no charges could be brought against Mr. Clemmons,” the report says. “To label the parties in this manner, particularly in the beginning stages of the investigation, could create an appearance to the public that the investigation was biased.” While the district attorney’s office determined Lippert acted in self-defense and will not pursue criminal charges against him, its report was critical of the police department’s handling of the case and recommended steps to eliminate any appearance of bias in the future and ensure minorities are treated fairly. In future cases, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will alone conduct a thorough criminal investigation when an MNPD officer’s use of force results…

Read the full story

Nashville Police Officer Won’t Be Charged In Shooting Of Armed Black Man

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  A white Nashville police officer who fatally shot an armed black man in February won’t face charges, District Attorney Glenn Funk announced at a press conference Thursday. The case drew accusations of racial bias but Funk said the officer acted in self-defense because the man would not comply with requests to drop his pistol. However, officials in the district attorney’s office are criticizing the police department for creating the appearance of bias for labeling the shooting justifiable before a thorough investigation could take place. Funk is also calling attention to a study purporting to show disparities in traffic stops and searches. “For Nashville to move forward, all law enforcement, including my office, must take steps to enhance fairness and confidence in the criminal justice system,” Funk said in a related report, according to WKRN News Channel 2. Officer Josh Lippert shot Jocques Scott Clemmons on Feb. 10 at the Cayce Homes public housing development. Lippert had wanted to talk to Clemmons about running a nearby stop sign, according to a Feb. 10 Metro Nashville Police Department news release. But Clemmons, appearing to clutch something in his waistband, ran away from the Lippert when the officer pulled up to his SUV…

Read the full story