Gun did not fire before man drew knife, police say
An armed man was fatally shot by courthouse security inside the lobby of the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville on Thursday after his handgun failed to fire and he drew a knife, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters.
The man, described as about 40 years old and from outside Tennessee, entered the federal building at around 9:30 a.m. local time and pulled out a gun, Aaron said. After the weapon did not fire, the man drew a knife before courthouse security shot him.
Aaron said the man was pronounced dead later at a nearby hospital. The gunman has not been identified.
Police searched a vehicle parked near the building but found nothing “threatening,” Aaron said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will lead the investigation into the incident, he added.