Metro Nashville detective shot in exchange with suspected gunman

A Metro Police SWAT officer and 37-year-old Delama Casimir had been involved in a deadly shootout, and Detective Donovan Coble, a four-year veteran of the force, was in critical but stable condition after taking a bullet to the side/ rib area.

The afternoon began when Metro Police detectives responded to a call reported from The Parking Spot, an airport area parking lot. What seemed to be a routine call quickly became dangerous when officers found an armed man allegedly breaking into cars.

Det. Coble’s body-worn video showed troubling surveillance footage of the gunman running through the lot and jumping a wooden fence, eventually being cornered by Coble with a Taser in his hand. But before the detective’s demand to stop could be obeyed, the gunman discharged a .380 semi-automatic pistol in Coble’s direction.

After this harrowing incident, Hermitage Precinct and SWAT officers arrived to search for the gunman, who was later identified as Delama Casimir.

At 3:35 p.m., Officer Tim Brewer happened upon Casimir in a section of heavy foliage and shouted demands before realizing that Casimir was armed. Casimir was then shot by the officer and transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he passed.

Officer of the Year Donovan Coble had been wounded just days before, and the public were reminded of the high-stakes danger that police officers are put in every day in pursuit of protecting their community.

Officer Coble is expected to recover from his wounds.