A Nashville police officer was shot Tuesday in what officials described as a “setup” to lure law enforcement to the scene.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said in a series of statements that officer Brian Sherman suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm while answering a fake 911 call claiming a woman had been shot at an area home.
“That call was a setup to get police to respond,” the MNPD said in a statement.
Sherman was taken to the hospital and treated for his wounds, with the MNPD announcing later that he was about to be discharged.
The man who shot Sherman was identified as 22-year-old Salman Mohamed. He fatally shot himself in the head with a rifle in the driveway of the home as officers tried to negotiate with him.
“No officers fired,” MNPD said in a statement.
“Officers responded—three South Precinct officers went to the front door, knocked, the door was opened and almost immediately shots were fired at the officers. The officers came under fire,” Aaron said.
Sherman, a two-year veteran of the force, was struck in the upper left arm and given first aid by his fellow officers, Aaron said. The gunman then came out of the house and officers tried to negotiate with him, but to no avail.
“Ultimately, Mohamed put the rifle to his head, pulled the trigger and he is dead in his driveway from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Aaron said.
The spokesman said investigators are convinced Mohamed called 911 to lure officers into an ambush.
“It’s clear that the phone call to the communications center about an active shooter, that his mother had been shot, was a ruse, a setup, to get police to this scene,” Aaron said.
Mohamed’s mother and three siblings were inside the home during the shooting but were not injured. Aaron said they would be interviewed by investigators.
The spokesman said investigators have not yet determined a motive for the shooting.
