Why are authorities attempting to cover up Daniel Hambrick’s murder by Andrew Delke?
By NIARA SAVAGE | Nashville Voice
A closer look at the Hambrick case provides startling insight on how police departments across the country have evaded criminal charges for decades.
Although the Metro Nashville Police Departmentment, The FOP, and associated judges, authorities and officials have succeeded thus far in their stealthy manipulation of the so-called justice system, they have (in the midst of their coordinated effort), overlooked one crucial piece of information.
Here are the steps Officer Andrew Delke and related institutions are taking to make sure Delke gets off scot-free:
Step One: Join an institution with a history of racial bias.
The Policing Project’s 2018 study showed that Black Nashvillians are 44 percent more likely to be pulled over than their White counterparts.
According to Gideon’s Army’s 2017 ‘Driving while Black’ report, Black drivers account for 27.6 percent of Nashville’s population, but 39.3 percent of all traffic stops.
When Andrew Delke joined the Nashville Police Department in December 2016, he became part of an institution with a quantifiable history of racial bias.
Step Two: Illegally profile the victim.
Officer Delke first became suspicious of a white Impala when it yielded at an intersection. The officer then ran the car’s license plate, only to find that the vehicle had not been stolen.
However, Delke pursued the vehicle anyway, effectively profiling the driver on the basis of his decision to yield at an intersection.
Step Three: Chase a man who is running for his life.
After losing track of the initial vehicle, Delke misidentified another white vehicle as being the same one he had previously pursued. He approached the men standing by the vehicle, including Daniel Hambrick.
The officer then advanced on the victim in a foot chase.
“You can see my cousin running for his life,” said a family member of the victim in the weeks following the shooting.
Step Four: Take a life. Execution style.
Without knowledge of whose life he was about to take, Officer Delke pulled out his gun and fired three shots. Daniel was hit all three times—twice in the back and once in the back of the head.
Step Four: Mischaracterize the situation (lie).
Initial reports from authorities, local media outlets and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation characterized the killing of Daniel Hambrick as a traffic stop gone wrong.
However, it was later revealed that a traffic stop never occurred and that Officer Delke pursued the vehicle without cause. Authorities’ dishonest first narrative allowed for the public’s understanding of the incident to be deliberately manipulated and controlled.
Step Five: Make sure there’s a powerful organization on your side.
The Nashville Fraternal Order of Police has defended Officer Delke’s actions since the shooting took place.
FOP President James Smallwood not only professed that Delke acted reasonably but also smeared the DA for going before a second magistrate to receive a warrant for the officer’s arrest.
The FOP also leveraged its political power when it released statements in opposition to the passage of the Community Oversight Board, which will act as a check on Nashville Police.
Step Six: Make sure local media is on board with assassinating the victim’s character.
Instead of taking note of Daniel Hambrick’s dedication to caring for his legally blind mother and commitment to lending a hand to his neighbors in need, WZTV-Nashville highlighted Daniel Hambrick’s “terrible record,” insinuating that the 25-year old was an “armed robber,” a drug dealer, and a violent assailant leading a “gangster lifestyle.”
The author of the article seems to pose the question, ‘It’s not murder if he’s a criminal, right?’
Step Seven: Destroy the evidence.
WSMV-Nashville has reported that the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency has ‘accidentally’ erased the raw footage of the Hambrick shooting.
A judge has ordered what portions are left of the video to be handed over, not the prosecution, but to the defense.
Step Eight: Use the victim’s criminal record to justify a ‘self-defense’ plea.
Last Friday, judge Melissa Blackburn stated that she will hear evidence relating to Hambrick’s past criminal record. This is despite the fact that the defense intends to justify the officer’s actions using a self-defense plea, and that the officer had no knowledge of Hambrick’s recorded at the time he pulled the trigger.
