TBI identifies armed man fatally shot by Nashville police officer in January
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man fatally shot by a Nashville police officer on Jan. 30 as Obob Ochan. He was 47.
Ochan was carrying a gun and pointed it at the officer, according to TBI. He was identified in a Feb. 10 update to TBI's original news release about the fatal police shooting.
Police first received a call around 6:40 p.m. about a man walking, yelling and waving a gun around the 900 block of Buchanan Street, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron said in a news briefing. The area is home to a bustling string of businesses and restaurants, some of which were open at that time.
Aaron said North Precinct Officer Dylan Ramos was the first on the scene and repeatedly told the man to stop and drop the gun. The man turned toward Ramos in what the officer believed to be a threatening manner, Aaron said. Ramos then fatally shot the man.
From January:Body camera footage, 911 calls released after officer fatally shoots man in North Nashville
Ramos has been on the force with MNPD since October 2019, according to Aaron. After the shooting, Ramos was placed on routine administrative assignment.
TBI is leading the investigation and will report its findings to the Davidson County District Attorney.
Nashville police release footage, 911 calls from shooting; eyewitnesses tell their story
Warning: This video may be upsetting to some viewers.
Within hours of the shooting, MNPD released partial footage from Ramos' body-worn camera and in-car camera, along with a clip of surveillance footage from a nearby business and audio from two 911 calls.
Chris Jones, who owns Willie B's, a nearby restaurant, and his manager, Jerome Wilson, told The Tennessean about their encounter with Ochan before they finally decided to call police.
Jones said he and a security guard confronted the man. Wilson also went outside to help. Jones said Ochan pointed a gun at them and threatened them multiple times.
"I don't know his mental state. I've seen that guy several times before ... but never with a gun," Jones said. "He wasn't right."
'I did the best I could': Restaurant owner confronted man before fatal police shooting
Jones eventually asked Wilson to call police. Both hoped officers would help ease the situation. Footage appeared to show Ramos approach Ochan as he shouted "do not touch that" and "drop the gun" multiple times. Within seconds, Ramos opened fire and Ochan fell to the ground.
"Don't shoot him!" Wilson cried out repeatedly as shots rang out while he paced, fell to his knees and wept. His anguished reaction was captured in audio of his 911 call later released by MNPD.
Jones said he saw the Ochan throw something on the ground as Ramos approached. He thinks it was the gun, but he was too far away to be certain. Surveillance footage also appeared to show Ochan throw something small and dark in color before he collapsed.
"I just hate that he had to lose his life," Jones said. "I wish something else could've been done ... I did what I felt like I needed to do to keep my staff and my customers safe. That was my only concern. I did the best I could."
Reach reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or find her on Twitter @RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TBI identifies armed man fatally shot by Nashville police in January
