New trial date set for Nashville officer in fatal shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A new trial date has been set for a white Tennessee police officer charged with fatally shooting an armed Black man from behind during a chase.
Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke’s trial is now set to begin on July 12, 2021, news outlets reported, citing court documents that noted “the increasing dangers of COVID-19.”
The trial had been set to begin June 22 but was delayed until February 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions on court appearances. Delke’s trial was originally set for March, but that was delayed until June due to a scheduling conflict.
Delke has pleaded not guilty to charges he shot and killed Daniel Hambrick from behind as Hambrick ran from officers during a chase in July 2018. Delke’s attorney has said the officer acted in line with his training and Tennessee law in response to “an armed suspect who ignored repeated orders to drop his gun.” District Attorney General Glenn Funk has argued Delke had other alternatives, adding the officer could have stopped, sought cover and called for help.
The case sparked an outcry that eventually led to the creation of a citizen oversight board for Nashville’s police force.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys have renewed a request for a change of venue that would allow jurors from another county to be brought in for the trial, documents said. That motion is scheduled to be heard Jan. 25.
