A dramatic series of events ended with officer Andrew Delke getting booked and decommissioned.

He is now charged with criminal homicide for the shooting death of Daniel Hambrick.

But the D.A.’s plan was almost derailed when a Magistrate refused to sign the warrant Thursday morning. Commissioner Evan Harris said there was not enough evidence to proceed with a criminal homicide charge.

D.A. Glenn Funk would not accept the decision and went looking a judge to overrule Harris.

Judge Michael Mondelli read the affidavit quietly and the signed it, indicating he did find probable cause.

The arrest warrant contains new information about the shooting. Here are some key points:

Officer Delke was in the area investigating stolen vehicles as part of the Juvenile Crime Task Force.

Delke saw a White Impala and was suspicious of how the driver was driving, and followed it to see if he could find a reason to stop the car.

After a while, Delke turned on his blue lights but the car didn’t stop. He did not chase it and eventually lost sight of the Impala.

Later, he allegedly mistook a different white car and followed it to an apartment complex.

Daniel Hambrick got out of the car and began to run. Delke chased him.

Delke said at the time he did not know who he was following.

Officer Delke’s commands to Hambrick during the chase were to “Stop. Drop the gun. Drop the gun or I’ll shoot.”

Delke fired four shots at Hambrick. One missed, but the other bullets hit him in the back, the torso and the head.

Reaction to this new account and Thursday’s events came from all quarters.

Police Chief Steve Anderson would not comment specifically about the arrest of one of his officers, but did say this:

“I have publicly expressed my condolences to his mother. Certainly, no parent should have to grieve the loss of a son or daughter.

“The events of July 26th have also forever impacted Officer Andrew Delke and his family. Our community and this police department have been lastingly affected as well.”

Delke’s attorney David Raybin said his client would be entering a plea of Not Guilty. He says the video of the shooting does not show the full picture of what happened.

“The public was not aware until the release of the police affidavit Hambrick was holding his gun before he was shot. The public has learned that Officer Delke gave Hambrick repeated demands to ‘Stop, stop, drop the weapon or I will fire’ as he was trained to do.”

Raybin says Delke was protecting himself, his fellow officers and the public when he fired his weapon.



For Mayor Briley, the issue is accountability:

“I fully support our Police. However, officers will be required to account for their actions when they have been accused of misconduct. Put simply, we must have laws that are fairly, equally and transparently applied.”

News 2 also spoke with representatives of the NAACP. Nashville Administrator Dan Battle Griffin, Jr. said the Hambrick family is encouraged that Andrew Delke has been officially charged and arrested.

“The only way we can start healing the Hambrick family is for the judicial system in Davidson County to start doing the right thing. All the evidence is there. There is no reason for this guy to be chasing Daniel Hambrick, there is no reason for him to shoot him. The car wasn’t stolen, he didn’t steal anything, there were no traffic violations, there was no reason for Andrew Delke to go after him.”

Community activist Reverend Enoch Fuss told News 2:

“That’s very important to the community that the officer should be charged. I am very happy that the DA has done the right thing. I am very disappointed that a magistrate would not follow through on a charge by the district attorney.”

Delke was decommissioned today, but remains an officer and is still employed by the Metro Police Department.