Officer decommissioned; threatened to shoot man in face

Jordan Buie | The Tennessean, Nashville

NASHVILLE — A Metro Nashville police officer has been decommissioned after threatening to shoot a man in the face during a traffic stop on Sunday.

Police said the traffic stop took place on Bell Road near Interstate 24 in Antioch.

Police said officers stopped 30-year-old Walter Fisher after police received reports about a man carrying what appeared to be an AK-47 near a restaurant.

On Sunday, and throughout the day Monday, video taken by a bystander circulated on social media that showed officers approaching Fisher's car, pointing guns in the direction of the car and demanding that Fisher get out.

One officer, later identified as Officer Brian Birch, approached the car with a shotgun, demanded that Fisher get out and shouted, "I'm gonna shoot you in the f----- face!"

WARNING: Video includes profanity.

In the video, Fisher is seen eventually getting out of the car.

Police ordered him to get out, put his hands up and walk backwards, get on his knees and put his hands out in front of him.

On Fisher's Facebook page, where he shared the video of his arrest, Fisher said that he did not want to get out of the car because he feared for his life. He said the officer threatened to shoot him.

Fisher also wrote that he wanted to defend his name on social media.

"First off let me clear something up for everyone who seems to know what went on more than the actual person involved, #1." Fisher wrote. "Iam not a criminal what so ever, never been to jail or arrested #2. I am a valid HANDGUN CARRY PERMIT HOLDER DONT THINK THEY WOULD GIVE A criminal THAT. #3. The Main Reason I Didn't Get Out The Car Was Because The Officer Jumped Out Stating He Was Gonna Shoot Me."

Fisher was a standout football player at Hillsboro High, winning the Class 4A Mr. Football Lineman award after leading the Burros to the 2003 state championship. He was named MVP of the 2003 BlueCross Bowl win over Morristown West.

He later played junior college football and then at the University of Tennessee, where he started four games on the defensive line in 2008.

Fisher also took to social media to defend his honor.

"I refuse to let simple minded people slander my name when you all probably would ask for my autograph if u really know who I was , let me clear it up .." Fisher wrote and then described his work and football achievements.

Birch, who graduated the police academy in March 2014, was decommissioned Monday afternoon for "inappropriate language" made during the felony stop on Bell Road.

"There was a call to Casa Fiesta restaurant at 2:18 Sunday afternoon in regard to a man carrying what the citizen thought to be an AK-47 and a pistol," said Police spokesman Don Aaron. "According to a report to a dispatcher, people were being threatened."

Aaron said it turned out that Fisher had been the victim of a car burglary in the restaurant and confronted the burglars and that he showed a shotgun that resembled an AK-47.

"The language used by officer Birch was not appropriate and he has been decommissioned while that is sorted out," Aaron said.

Police said the incident is still under investigation.