Nashville police officer upgraded to stable condition after exchanging gunfire in Donelson
Less than 24 hours after he was shot in the ribs, Metro Nashville Police Officer Donovan Coble was upgraded from critical, yet stable condition to stable condition, police said Friday.
Coble, 33, a four-year veteran of MNPD, remains hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after he was shot Thursday during an exchange of gunfire. At the time, police said he was responding to a report of an armed suspect breaking into vehicles in the 500 block of Donelson Pike.
The suspect was identified by police as Delama Casimir, 37, of Florida. Police said he ran from Coble when confronted, jumping a fence.
Body camera footage showed Coble then saying "drop that gun" as more than a dozen shots rung out.
The officer then told dispatch he was struck by gunfire in the ribs, saying he believes he shot Casimir.
A SWAT team tracked Casimir to a brush area behind homes along Upshaw Drive. Police said Casimir fired at SWAT as officers asked him to surrender. SWAT then returned fire.
Casimir was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead Thursday around 7:30 p.m.
Two days before the encounter, Coble, who is based out of the Hermitage Precinct, was honored by the Exchange Club of Donelson-Hermitage as its Officer of the Year, according to a Facebook post.
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville officer Donovan Coble in stable condition after shooting
