Nashville Police Shooting: Dispatcher Did Not Warn Officers Suspect Was Armed

NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville police officer wounded in a shooting with a now-dead suspect was not warned the man was armed by a dispatcher, even though the dispatcher was told he had a gun by a caller.

Officer Terrance McBride was shot in the shoulder by Paul Hardesty, a parolee from New York who later shot himself inside the Cumberland Inn on Trinity Lane. Michele Donegan, director of Nashville's Emergency Communications Center said the dispatcher took a call from a citizen who reported the suspect was at the motel. The caller gave the dispatcher Hardesty’s name, explained he had an outstanding warrant and that he may have committed a robbery and said Hardesty was seen with a weapon. The dispatcher did not pass the information about the gun to the East Precinct officers who responded.

“This was a critical error and that information should have been included. We have opened an active investigation regarding this call taker and we take this type of error very seriously,” Donegan told WKRN.

In a statement, Metro Police said “[W]e share her strong concern that critical information was not relayed to the officers on the motel call. While the jobs of ECC personnel are stressful, this matter serves as an important reminder that it is essential for officers to have as much pertinent detail as possible when responding to calls.”

The dispatcher’s name hasn’t been released.

Image via Metro Police.