Inmate killed after attacking officer with a screwdriver at medical office in Nashville, officials say

Show Caption Hide Caption Scenes from the shooting at Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks campus Raw video footage from the shooting at Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks campus. Video by Shelley Mays

A Robertson County inmate was fatally shot Wednesday after he tackled a deputy and stabbed him with a screwdriver at a Vanderbilt University Medical Center clinic at 100 Oaks, police said, sending scores of terrified patients and shoppers scrambling for shelter.

The inmate, identified as Rodney L. Cole, 37, attacked Deputy Josh Wiley in a bathroom during a routine visit to the clinic. Wiley's partner, Deputy Tomisha Jones, rushed into the bathroom after hearing his cries for help, Metro police said.

Jones found Cole on top of her partner, stabbing him multiple times. She then shot at Cole.

More: Robertson sheriff: Deputy injured in Nashville attack faces 'major surgery,' prayers needed

On Thursday, the Robertson County Sheriff's Office issued the following statement regarding the attack:

“In law enforcement, we train for the worst, but pray it never happens. Yesterday, an inmate viciously and violently attacked one of our deputies. Unfortunately, my deputies had to respond in the way no law enforcement wants to – with deadly force. One of the deputies suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and the other deputy has suffered the traumatic stress of the incident. The support from our local community has been tremendous, and the assistance from our fellow law enforcement partners including Metro Nashville Police Department and Vanderbilt University Police Department has been incredible and humbling. The care provided to Josh Wiley and his family by the Metro emergency medical staff and the doctors and nurses from Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been outstanding. Deputy Wiley is still in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit after surgery yesterday and is facing major surgery today. We ask that you continue to keep Deputy Wiley and his family in your prayers. Please also keep Deputy Tomisha Jones and her family in your prayers as she deals with the traumatic stress of this incident.”

Police say a struggle ensued that spilled into the hallway, where Cole briefly took possession of Jones’ weapon. Jones reported she was able to regain control of her weapon, and both deputies shot at Cole, who died in the hallway, authorities said.

Details surrounding the bloody attack were still coming into focus late Wednesday. It was the second time this month a Middle Tennessee inmate attacked and injured a sheriff’s deputy escort.

“We don’t have answers right now, but we will do our best to find out how he got that screwdriver,” Metro police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said. “As this unfolds, the investigation progresses, we’ll have more certainty on exactly what happened.”

The attack at the medical complex locked down the busy Nashville strip mall for hours, leaving patients and doctors stuck in offices while the Metro police SWAT team swept the area wearing bulletproof vests and masks and carrying assault rifles.

The Vanderbilt medical complex at 100 Oaks includes 27 different clinics. There are more than 1,000 employees on site, and about 2,000 patients are seen there daily, according to a medical center spokesman.

► More: Robertson County prays for deputy critically wounded in shooting at 100 Oaks

Inmate had made regular trips to the clinic

Wiley, 36, is in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Mumford said he sustained stabbing and gunshot wounds. Jones, 26, wasn't injured, police said.

Police said the inmate and deputies were visiting the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic at the time of the attack. Cole had a "medical condition" that required regular visits to the clinic, Mumford said.

It’s unclear how Cole was restrained, Mumford said. Cole — who sheriff’s office records list as from Henning, Tenn., in Lauderdale County — was a convicted bank robber, according to police, and had previous convictions for aggravated robbery, robbery, burglary and theft.

A chaotic scene as police descended on the shopping center

Witness Noel Cohen describes the scene at Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks campus Witness Noel Cohen describes the scene at Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks campus where there was a shooting.

No one else was injured, but people inside and outside the complex described a chaotic and frightening scene as police swarmed the area.

The shooting forced multiple entrances to the mall to close, and traffic backed up in multiple directions along Thompson Drive and Powell Avenue.

Rory Foley, 44, of Nashville, was inside the building waiting for an appointment on the second floor when nurses asked her to “move, move, move.” Foley said she didn't hear any gunshots.

"We heard all the nurses saying, 'You have to come in here,'" Foley said. “They locked us up in the room and made us stay there.”

► More: 100 Oaks clinic patient recounts chaotic moments after shooting

She said after some time, the nurses reported they received an all-clear and it was good to leave. She said she began to head for the exit, but noticed that there were no people coming into the building.

"I turned around. The SWAT team was behind me,” she said. “I was freaked out a bit.”

Foley said a doctor ushered her into a room where she and 30-40 people took shelter.

"Vanderbilt staff were exceptional despite what happened here," she said, adding that she stayed for her appointment after police told her she could leave about 4 p.m.

Line to leave second floor of 100 Oaks campus There is a line to leave the Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks campus after a shooting. Video from Rory Foley.

Patient William Morgan of Franklin said he was entering the building from the parking lot with his wife when a woman told him there was a shooting.

“We walked right through the doors — they weren’t secured or anything,” Morgan said. “We got up to where the office was, and there was nobody there, so we sat down in a seat. Then they came and got us and put us in a room.”

Despite the chaos, Morgan said the doctor saw him for a quick appointment after the lockdown was lifted.

Witnesses outside, many dressed in pink and brown scrubs, said police acted swiftly.

Chip Balduf, an electrical contractor, had just finished a job at a Pizza Hut on Thompson Lane and was pulling out of the parking lot when the shooting occurred.

“I had about four or five police cars come up behind me,” he said. “We were just trapped.”

A second attack on a deputy

The attack raises familiar questions about protocol surrounding prisoner transport in Tennessee.

On June 19, authorities say Michael Eugene Bell, 37, shot two Coffee County Sheriff’s deputies after wrestling away a deputy's gun at the county courthouse, escaping into a nearby neighborhood and killing himself.

► Related: Sheriff's office: Suspect grabbed Coffee County deputy's gun, started firing

► Related: Coffee County inmate who shot deputies had troubled past

Mumford said police will be looking at how Cole was able to attack a deputy during a routine medical trip.

Robertson County officials call shooting a 'terrible tragedy'

Robertson County law enforcement and government officials said Wednesday they were praying for one of their own.

County Mayor Howard Bradley called it a “terrible tragedy.”

“We think about this every day that those officers put on their badges and strap on their guns,” he said. “It’s a testament to how much we owe them for their courage and selflessness.

“They put themselves in harm’s way, much like a military servant does, for us every day.”

Nicole Young, Jessica Davis, Wes Duplantier and Adam Tamburin contributed to this report.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.

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