Nashville police shoot man after Frugal MacDougal guard killed: What we know so far
A man faces charges of criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide after a security guard was fatally shot and a shootout with Nashville police ensued on June 2, officials said.
Two officers shot at 40-year-old Randy Charles Levi inside Frugal MacDougal after a guard was fatally shot outside, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Levi then fled into the store, refused to surrender and shot at the officers before police said two of them returned fire, police said. No officers were hurt in the shooting, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Here's what we know so far.
Who was involved
The scene unfolded around 8:30 p.m. on June 2 at Frugal MacDougal, located at 701 Division Street — less than a mile from Nashville's popular downtown entertainment district. A large police presence blocked traffic and yellow police tape closed off the surrounding area for part of the night.
The guard was identified as 59-year-old Dickson man Robert Scott Meek. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron said Levi was "awake, alert and talking" the night of the shooting. Levi was later released from the hospital and charged.
MNPD said Field Training Officer Trevor Taylor, Officer Blake Curry and Officer Steven Luckey arrived less than three minutes after the shooting. Luckey and Curry are the two who shot at Levi, MNPD said. It was not immediately clear which shots struck the man.
Taylor is a five-year MNPD veteran who works in the Central Precinct, police said. Luckey has been on the force for two years and works in the Hermitage Precinct. He was working nearby in the entertainment district Thursday night, according to MNPD. Curry, who works in the Central Precinct, has been with MNPD for 17 months.
How the shooting unfolded
Meek confronted Levi after he reportedly tried to shoplift, police said. Levi fled to a nearby property before coming back to the parking lot and fighting with Meek. Levi then grabbed Meek's pistol, shot him with it and fled into the store with the gun, MNPD said.
Police said the first 911 call about the shooting came in at 8:26 p.m. The caller initially mistook the guard as an MNPD officer, according to Aaron.
The officers saw Meek on the ground being tended by someone who told them Levi was in the store.
The officers immediately went inside the store, MNPD said. Taylor found Levi by the cooler. Police said Levi ignored commands to surrender and began shooting at the officers, and that Luckey and Curry returned fire.
The footage appeared to show multiple shots exchanged before the man was subdued and handcuffed.
Has anyone been charged or arrested?
Levi was hospitalized after the shooting and charged upon his release on June 10. He faces one count of criminal homicide and three counts of attempted criminal homicide. He is currently being held in jail in Davidson County, and is set to appear in court on June 14.
While hospitalized, Levi was monitored by MNPD.
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Nashville police release partial bodycam footage
MNPD posted clips of body-camera footage from all three officers around 2:15 a.m. Friday on its YouTube channel. The roughly four-and-a-half minute video begins with footage from Taylor's bodycam, who appears to have entered the store first. Taylor pushed a person aside who was trying to enter the store, telling them to move out of the way.
The video then cuts to footage from Curry around the 1:33 mark, who appeared to follow closely behind Taylor and alongside Luckey. The video then cuts to Luckey's footage around the 3:12 mark.
The footage showed the officers repeatedly announcing they were with MNPD, telling Levi to drop the gun and commanding him to show his hands.
MNPD denied a request for the full dash and body camera footage from the three officers that night, citing Tennessee law that allows — but does not require — officials to withhold public records during an open investigation or case. It also denied a request for 911 call made that night.
Warning: This video may be upsetting for some viewers
Investigation opened, officers on administrative assignment
MNPD said all three officers are on routine administrative assignment, in keeping with its policy after police shootings.
TBI is leading the investigation into Meek's shooting and the police shooting, per the request of the District Attorney, MNPD said. The MNPD Office of Professional Accountability will also conduct an administrative investigation of the actions of the officers, per department policy.
What happens next
TBI said agents are working to "independently determine the set of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews."
Findings will be reported to the District Attorney for further review and consideration, TBI said. TBI will function as a fact-finder in the case and said the decision on whether the officers' actions were justified rests with the DA.
Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police shooting at Frugal MacDoogal: What we know
