Two Nashville Police officers shot and wounded a 40-year-old gunman Thursday night during an exchange of gunfire inside Frugal MacDoogal liquor store on Division Street. Officers arrived on the scene less than three minutes after the man fought with the store’s security guard, who was fatally shot with his own pistol during the parking lot fight. The man then retreated back into the store with the security guard’s gun.
The security guard was pronounced dead on arrival at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is identified as Robert Scott Meek, 59, of Dickson, Tennessee.
The gunman has wounds to his extremities. He is in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The first 911 call of the parking lot shooting was received at 8:26 p.m. Central Precinct Field Training Officer Trevor Taylor, Central Precinct Officer Blake Curry, and Hermitage Precinct Officer Steven Luckey, who was close by working the Entertainment District Initiative, rushed to the liquor store. Upon arrival, they saw Meek on the ground being tended to by a citizen, who told the officers the gunman had fled into the store. Without hesitation, Officers Taylor, Curry and Luckey ran into the business. Officer Taylor discovered the gunman at the cooler. All three officers yelled repeated commands to the man to drop the pistol and show them his hands. The gunman fired shots at the officers, resulting in Officer Luckey and then Officer Curry returning the fire
Officer Taylor, a five-year Nashville Police veteran, Officer Luckey, who has been with the Police Department for two years, and Officer Curry, who has been with the Police Department for 17 months, are on routine administrative assignment, as is policy for officers involved in a shooting incident.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, at the request of the District Attorney, is leading both the investigation into the fatal shooting of Meek and the investigation into the wounding of the gunman. The Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability will, by policy, be conducting an administrative investigation to ensure that the actions of the officers meet the high standards expected of this police department.
Meek reportedly encountered the man after an attempted shoplifting in the liquor store. The two went into the parking lot. The man reportedly went to an adjoining property before coming back to the liquor store parking lot and engaging in a fight with Meek.