Who was Joshua Kersey? Tennessee man with mental health issues shot dead by Nashville cop 'in total disregard for life'
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Joshua Kersey, a 30-year-old Tennessee man who suffered from severe mental issues, was fatally shot by a Nashville police officer on October 9, 2023.
Kersey's sister Adriana Trujillo had called the police for help at their home in Split Oak Trail in Antioch, a decision which she deeply regretted.
His family and lawyers said he was “needlessly shot” and “executed” by the officer who showed “a total disregard for life”, as reported by WSMV.
The confirmation was caught on the body footage since released by the department.
MNPD responded to the call from Joshua Kersey's mother
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), officers responded to a call from Kersey’s mother and sister who said he was drunk and holding another man at knifepoint in a bedroom.
The family members also told the officers that Kersey had “severe mental issues”, but the police department did not dispatch its Crisis Intervention Team.
The body camera footage, which was released by the MNPD a day after the incident, showed officer Cole Ranseen trying to talk to Kersey through the closed bedroom door.
Kersey slid a cell phone under the door and threatened to kill the hostage if the officers called the phone.
One of the officers whispered to Ranseen, “If I get a shot, I’m taking it.”
Officers then heard a struggle inside the room and broke in
The officers then heard a struggle inside the room and broke in. They saw Kersey and the hostage falling to the ground.
The footage showed that Kersey was on his back when Ranseen fired one shot toward his midsection, killing him.
A domestic-related officer involved fatal shooting is under investigation on Split Oak Trail in Antioch. A man who was reportedly holding an adult at knifepoint was fatally shot by a responding South Precinct Officer. TBI will lead the investigation. pic.twitter.com/Wd9ZSiKqvt
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) October 10, 2023
Kersey’s family and lawyers condemned the shooting as unjustified and unlawful.
They said in a statement that Kersey was “needlessly shot” and that Ranseen “decided Joshua Kersey needed to die and nothing was going to stop him.”
Attorney Marwan Porter said," “Officer Ranseen executed a defenseless man. There’s no other way to say it.”
“From the beginning, he showed a total disregard for life. He decided Joshua Kersey needed to die, and nothing was going to stop him,” Porter added.
Joshua Kersey's sister said if she hadn’t have asked for help, her brother would still be here
Adriana Trujillo, his sister told WKRN that she wanted police to help her brother, but instead, he was shot by an officer.
“I feel like, you know, you’re supposed to call the cops because they’re there to help you, and I called the cops and all they did was take my brother from me,” she said.
“I feel like if I hadn’t have asked for help, my brother would still be here," she added.
Trujillo said they [police] never wanted to calm her brother down.
"If I have a shot, I’m taking it,” as a sign they never had any intention of calming down her brother.
“What was the point of shooting him? Like why? Why?” she asked.
Joshua Kersey wanted to talk to his sister
According to GoFundMe which had been set up by his family, Kersey wanted to talk to his sister.
"The death of Joshua Kersey was unnecessary but it's happened," Lulita Sanders, who set up the fundraiser, said.
She added, "Joshua was a great person, would give you the shirt off his back.
"The MNPD was told two times on the 911 call that Joshua has severe mental health illness, the police officers was told this as well," she added.
"Joshua said he wanted to talk to his sister. They never went outside to get her. She tried to go inside the house but was told if she took another step she would be arrested," she continued.
Reportedly, officer Ranseen “remains on administrative assignment" and, as per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, "investigative record will only become available for public review at the conclusion of the prosecutorial function."
Lawyers for Kersey's survivors "are currently reviewing all available options and expect legal action to be forthcoming," according to the family's statement, according to NBC News.