Police officer does things police tell you not to do

A Nashville police detective was arrested this morning for drunk driving and more; according to the press release, his crimes include

DUI, gun possession while under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and violation of the implied consent law for refusing a breath alcohol test.

He was found asleep behind the wheel of an unmarked police car in the parking lot of a Goodlettsville convenience store (though he was off duty).  He told the investigating officers that he had struck the median while exiting a highway (think about that for a minute) and damaged a tire.

He’s been decommissioned from the MNPD, which is conducting its own internal investigation into the incident as well.

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Police seeking 16-year-old for Music City Central shooting

MNPD has named a suspect in Monday’s shooting of four teenagers at the central bus station, and they’re seeking the public’s help in locating him:

Javious Chatman, the most critically-injured victim, has been upgraded to stable condition at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

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Music City Central back in operation with extra security

After yesterday’s shooting at Music City Central, police are stepping up patrols of the central bus station:

Police are saying that the incident doesn’t appear to have been random.  After viewing surveillance footage from the terminal, they say that the shooter was riding the escalators up and down before shooting, as if he were looking for someone.  Although two teenagers are in custody, police are not yet sure if they are suspects in the shooting.

Mayor Barry released a statement focusing on youth violence in the city, which has been a major focus in her administration, but didn’t have much to say about the MTA itself:

The shooting today at Music City Central is a tragic reminder of the plague of gun violence in our society, where one person with a gun can devastate lives and bring a city to a halt in a moment’s notice. My heart sank when I heard that youth were the victims in this shooting, and my hope and prayer for those victims and their families is that they have a full and speedy recovery.

Metro Police will be assigning additional officers to the terminal in the coming days, and as a clearer picture of the shooting today comes into view, I will be meeting with Police and MTA officials to see what we can do better to improve security at Music City Central and prevent incidents like this in the future.

As Mayor, as a Nashvillian, and as a mother, I will never accept a status quo where our children fear being victims of violence when getting on a bus, going to school, or walking in their neighborhoods. I remain committed to working with our entire community to implement recommendations from the Youth Violence Summit Report and create better outcomes for all of our children.

Yesterday, the lower level of the terminal reopened fairly soon after the incident, but the upper level buses continued to board on the streets around the station.  Today, the station is back in full operation:

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Shooting at central bus station

One teenager was critically injured, while three others received minor injuries, by a gunman at Music City Central just before 4:00 this afternoon. The shooting happened on the escalator. Two suspects are now reported to be in police custody.

A nearby citizen told WSMV that he saw an estimated 25 emergency vehicles arrive at the scene.

This is sure to affect the evening commute home for most bus commuters who use the central station, but the only alert put out by the MTA was, “Customers may experience some delays to our services due to an emergency at Music City Central.”

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Vandy Rape Suspect is Now Guilty

Last night, a jury found former Vanderbilt footballer Cory Batey guilty of aggravated rape and other charges from an incident in 2013.  He will be sentenced in May.

The victim of the incident was frustrated that the jury did not convict him of all of the charges against him.  She wrote in a statement, “I am deeply disappointed with the jury’s verdict… Despite the hard work of the exemplary prosecutors who’ve worked tirelessly on this case, I can only conclude that our system of justice is broken. I deserved better. Victims of sexual assault deserve better. Our community deserves better.”

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt’s Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs wrote, “The jury has spoken. Our first thoughts are with the victim and the incredible strength she has shown, and continues to show, both throughout the investigation and the legal proceedings.”

More defendants involved in the incident, whose cases will be heard separately, are yet to be convicted.

Full coverage is available from WKRN.

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Man Found Shot in Cattle Field

UPDATE: Police identified the murdered man as Jorge Alejandro Potter Alvarado after his mother worriedly called the police to report him missing.  He was 19.

In this edition of “There Are Cattle in Nashville?,” police believe a young Hispanic man was shot last night in a field off of Old Hickory Blvd.  (This is one of those parts of Davidson County that, while technically Nashville, are relatively rural.)  The man’s body was found in the field this morning by a man checking in on his livestock.  The detectives have not been able to identify the man, who is in his late teens or early 20s, yet and are seeking the public’s assistance.

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