Crime & Safety
MNPD Officer Fired for His Part in 2015 Madison Shooting
A 15-year veteran of MNPD was fired a year after he and a trainee shot at a car backing away from them.
NASHVILLE, TN ― A former Metro Police training officer was fired Tuesday for his involvement in a shooting in Madison nearly one year ago.
Police Chief Steve Anderson terminated Joe Pennington, a 15-year veteran of the force, after he had been on administrative leave since the November 2015 shooting.
Pennington and probationary officer Matthew Nelms fired at a Chevrolet Tahoe, driven by suspected burglar David Lauderdale, backing away from them while in a residential neighborhood November 30, 2015. Lauderdale was not injured.
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Nelms was fired shortly thereafter, with an investigative committee reporting that his claim of self-defense was not supported by the evidence. Pennington was decommissioned and place on administrative leave. He contended that he began firing after Nelms because he could not determine if Nelms or Lauderdale was shooting.
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