By Joanna Putman
Police1
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Metro Nashville Police have released body camera footage of a man who shot at an officer before being shot and wounded, The Tennessean reported.
The incident began when officers were called to an apartment complex just before 1 a.m. following a report of an attempted break-in, according to the report.
According to police, the suspect was armed and had been trying to force entry into his estranged girlfriend’s home. Officer Eric Zeigler, a three-year veteran of the Nashville Police Department, encountered the suspect walking along the roadway near the scene, video shows.
When Zeigler ordered the suspect to stop, the man fled. Zeigler pursued him on foot, repeatedly ordering him to halt. During the chase, the suspect turned and fired a shot at the officer. Zeigler took cover behind a tree and returned fire, hitting the suspect in the buttocks and leg.
The suspect was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to the report. Zeigler was not injured during the encounter.
Authorities confirmed the suspect had been wanted on domestic assault and false imprisonment charges stemming from a prior incident. The suspect allegedly attacked and confined his estranged girlfriend in a bedroom on Nov. 14 before fleeing, according to the report. The victim, who is the mother of the suspect’s child, had visible injuries from the earlier assault. While she had obtained an order of protection, it had not been served at the time of the shooting.
The suspect, who was on probation for a 2022 felony aggravated burglary conviction, had been arrested earlier in November for a probation violation but was released shortly before the incident with the victim.
