A Tennessee prosecutor says he was right to charge a white Nashville police officer with criminal homicide in the shooting death of a black man, and pushed back against the defense’s contention that the officer had to shoot the fleeing man.
During a preliminary hearing, Officer Andrew Delke’s defense team said the officer followed training when he saw Daniel Hambrick holding a gun and then shot him in the back during a foot chase in July.
Defense attorney David Raybin says Delke “reacted directly to all the things Hambrick did to provoke him.”
The Tennessean reports that District Attorney Glenn Funk said there were options available, suggesting Delke could have stopped, sought cover and called for help.
A judge is considering whether there’s probable cause to pass the case to a grand jury. A decision is expected Monday.
