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(NSFW) Officers Mag Dump Suspect With Weapon, One Officer Decommissioned
Published 2 years ago
Body camera footage coming out of Nashville, shows nearly a dozen law enforcement officers in a standoff with a suspect armed with a boxcutter on Interstate 65. During that standoff, the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Landon Eastep, made a quick motion from his waist and pointed it officers, causing five, or more officers to discharge their weapons.
At approximately 2 p.m., January 27th, 2022, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper observed Eastep sitting on the side of I-65, where he stopped and offered him a ride. Reports indicate that after a brief interaction, Eastep produced a box-cutter, and the trooper called for assistance. Additional units arrived in the area to help and began trying to de-escalate the situation through dialogue with Eastep for nearly thirty-minutes.
During this time, Eastep held a box cutter in his left hand and kept his right hand in his pocket. Suddenly, Eastep pulled a round, metal object from his pocket. Reportedly, nine officers, including six Metro officers, two THP troopers and an off-duty Mt. Juliet officer opened fire and neutralized Eastep.
As shown in the body camera footage, one officer fired two additional shots after Eastep had already hit the ground. Since the incident, Metro Deputy Chiefs, Chief Drake has decommissioned the 25-year veteran officer from his duties due to his improper use of force.
During a later investigation, Metro police later reported the metal object Eastep drew was not a firearm.
