‘They killed my baby’: Family demands change after Mt. Juliet police shooting
“Even if he did have an outstanding warrant, that does not justify him being murdered,” an attorney said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The family of a man killed by a Mount Juliet police officer is telling their story. They are calling for that officer to face criminal charges and for police reform.
Linda Allen watched her son, 39-year-old Eric Allen, die on video.
“Nobody should have to die like that,” Allen said. “I had to close my eyes, and I just yelled. That’s all I could do. Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.”
The video came from a body camera worn by Mount Juliet Police. It captured the moment officers pulled over a car in November. An unidentified female is driving. Allen is the passenger.
“Alright, so a couple things here,” the officer said in the video. “You know the speed limit is 35, right?”
The officer told them they were speeding, had a headlight out and issues with their tags. He had the female driver get out, and then asked Allen to get out.
Instead, Allen rolled the window up, moved into the driver’s seat and started to drive off.
“Don’t go nowhere,” the officer said in the video. “Don’t go nowhere.”
Within seconds, Sgt. Josh Lo shot Allen.
“When they pulled him out of the car, I knew he was already dead,” Allen said. “They killed my baby.”
While Allen is a convicted felon, family attorney Terry Clayton said Allen was unarmed and had no outstanding warrants to his knowledge at the time of the traffic stop.
“Even if he did have an outstanding warrant, that does not justify him being murdered,” Clayton said.
Change is needed, like prohibiting interrogation of passengers without probable cause, according to Clayton. He also said qualified immunity that protects officers from personal lawsuits needs to be taken away. Clayton added there needs to be uniform use of force guidelines.
“Stop allowing these officers to wreak havoc on our community and killing Black men,” Clayton said.
Following the death of Tyre Nichols, another Black man killed following a traffic stop in Memphis, Allen’s family is demanding reform.
“I know how his mother feels,” Allen said. “Eric was dead in November. He died in January. I know how she feels.”
Lo returned to duty less than a month after the shooting. The family said they want to see him criminally indicted, and they’re also considering a civil suit.
WSMV 4 reached out to Mount Juliet Police for comment. They sent us the following statement:
“The men and women of the Mt. Juliet Police Department dedicate themselves to the department’s core values of compassion, commitment, courage, competence, and integrity. As police officers, we swore an oath to uphold those values, support the Constitution, and honor the sanctity of human life. Sgt. Lo took that same oath. While much of the TBI investigative findings are not public at this moment, Sgt. Lo return to duty after a preliminary review of the incident, which his actions are clear in the entirety of the released bodyworn camera video.”
Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Black Nashville Assembly is holding a vigil outside City Hall for Eric Allen, Tyre Nichols and everyone lost due to police violence. Allen’s family will be there. They said this coincides with the national day of action for Nichols.
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