NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An attorney for a white police officer who shot and killed an armed African-American man in Nashville in February said his client wants the investigative report on the fatal confrontation to be released to the public.
Officer Joshua Lippert has been investigated by Nashville police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Last week the TBI and a prosecutor took the unusual step of asking a court to order the release of the TBI's report on the shooting. Under Tennessee law, TBI's investigative files are confidential and cannot be released without a court order or a subpoena.
Attorney John M.L. Brown said in a statement that Lippert "acted reasonably in a situation that was tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving." The lawyer said the officer has fully cooperated with investigators.