Nine Nashville police officers reportedly fatally shot a pedestrian who was on a Tennessee interstate after a short standoff where the suspect is believed to have brandished a box cutter as a weapon.
Authorities identified the suspect as 37-year-old Landon Eastep, who was killed after about 30 minutes of negotiations with police officers. During the talks, traffic was halted along Interstate 65 near Nashville. Officers quickly opened fire after the man appeared to "adjust his stance and reach for what was later identified as a cylindrical metal object at his waist."
Suspect With a Box Cutter
In a statement, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) revealed the details of the incident, and it was later found that the item the suspect reached for was not a firearm. The standoff between officials and the pedestrian began around 2:00 p.m. At the time, Eastep was seen sitting on a guardrail on the shoulder of the interstate.
A state trooper later attempted to get Eastep to move off the highway, said Don Aaron, the Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson. He added that the suspect kind of pushed away from the trooper and produced a box cutter, CNN reported.
The trooper who was talking with Eastep immediately called Metro police for assistance and was met by an off-duty Mt. Juliet Police officer. The latter was traveling along the interstate and saw the situation and decided to stop and assist with the issue. Aaron said that the trooper and the Mt. Juliet officer negotiated with the suspect in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
The spokesperson added that after a few minutes of talking with the suspect, Metro officers arrived at the scene to offer their assistance. He said it was at that time that Eastep decided to brandish a box cutter and held it in his left hand while his right hand was hidden in his pocket.
Authorities said that after a 30-minute standoff, Eastep pulled his right hand out of his pocket and showed a shiny silver cylindrical object. That moment was when officers opened fire at the man, who numbered a total of nine, WKRN reported.
Nashville Shooting
The TBI said that the incident did not result in any other fatalities or injuries other than the 37-year-old suspect. Video footage of the incident was later posted to social media and appeared to show the shooting that seemingly involved more than a dozen armed, uniformed officers on the interstate with their weapons drawn.
Mt. Juliet Capt. Tyler Chandler told reporters at the scene that the off-duty officer's family was inside a car on the interstate and were able to witness the shooting. He said that the officer was very upset that his family had to see the incident. He also noted that a lot of people on the interstate witnessed the horrifying moment.
In a statement released just before 8:30 p.m. after the incident, the TBI said that its agents were working to independently determine the series of events that led to the shooting of Eastep. This includes collecting evidence and conducting interviews with people involved, Yahoo Sports reported.