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Former Hamilton County Sheriff, Tennessee Firearms Association sues Nashville over release of Covenant School shooting documents

From Local 3 News: The former sheriff of Hamilton County is joining the Tennessee Firearms Association in suing the city of Nashville.  

From Local 3 News: The former sheriff of Hamilton County is joining the Tennessee Firearms Association in suing the city of Nashville.

 

The lawsuit claims the city has not released a number of documents to former Sheriff Jim Hammond and the Tennessee Firearms Association related to its response to The Covenant School shooting in March.

 

“We think that it’s high-time that they share a little of that information,” said Hammond. “I’m not certainly throwing any suspicions on the Nashville Police Department, but I think fellow law enforcement agencies need to know all of this.”

 

Hammond said he was approached by the conservative-leaning freedom of information group Judicial Watch after the group was denied its request for being out of state.

 

Hammond then filed for the records himself but he was also denied without reason, the lawsuit said.

 

The lawsuit, which Hammond filed in conjunction with the Tennessee Firearms Association, calls for the release of impound/evidence invoices, photographs, bodycam footage, city/county/state and/or federal coroner information, suspect toxicology/lab results, audio of calls for service, and school video footage of suspect and officers.

 

Hammond said the release of the documents would promote transparency and help other agencies train for potential future active shooter situations.

 

“The defendant’s no longer here,” said Hammond. “So it shouldn’t be an open case in the sense that they’re looking for a suspect.”

 

The lawsuit also asks for the release of emails exchanged by Metro Nashville Police officers about the investigation into the shooting and of the shooter’s so-called ‘manifesto’, a journal that could explain motive.

 

“Many believe that public access to these records is important for a number of reasons including the interest in determining the actual basis for the homicides,” the Tennessee Firearms Association wrote in a news release on the lawsuit. “Particularly in light of Governor Bill Lee’s call for a special legislative session to consider his gun control proposal that he has presented in the format of a ‘Red Flag’ law.”

 

Gov. Bill Lee called for a special session in July to address his gun safety proposal. His proposal would include an order of protections for people who express behaviors that could pose a threat to themselves or to others.

 

“What the history books don’t always capture is the difficulty of those moments when leaders are standing at a crossroads, choosing between the easy path and the right path,” Gov. Lee said in a social media video pushing the legislature to pass the proposal. “I believe we find ourselves at that moment today. We are standing at a crossroads. Tennesseans are asking us to set aside politics and personal pride. They are depending on us to do the right thing.”

 

The Governor has pushed back against referring to his proposal as a ‘Red Flag law’, but a spokesperson for his office declined to respond directly to the statewide gun rights advocacy group, citing the lawsuit in which he is not named.

 

The city of Nashville has not responded to Local 3 News’ request for a response to the lawsuit.