NASHVILLE, TN. (THECOUNT) — Jason Sexton, 54, died Saturday after being shot by Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT officer Joshua Baney during an encounter involving a sword-wielding suspect and a woman police said was being held against her will in North Nashville.
Baney, a 12-year veteran of the MNPD and member of the department’s SWAT team, fired three shots at Sexton on Cheshire Drive after being directed to assist officers in stopping Sexton’s vehicle, according to police.
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Police said a 26-year-old woman was inside the vehicle and was reportedly being held against her will. She was not injured during the incident.
Patrol officers had reportedly spent approximately an hour attempting to persuade Sexton to surrender before SWAT officers were called to the scene.
According to MNPD, Baney was directed to use his police truck to help block Sexton’s vehicle. After taking a position behind a patrol vehicle, Baney fired three shots at Sexton as he held a sword.
Sexton was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The confrontation followed a series of incidents involving Sexton that began Friday, when officers were attempting to arrest him on outstanding warrants charging him with violations of an order of protection and criminal trespassing.
Earlier Saturday, police said Sexton became involved in a dispute with a clerk at the Shell market at 2112 Charlotte Avenue over payment for coffee. Sexton left the business but returned carrying a sword and allegedly threatened the clerk, who had locked himself inside the store, according to police.
The incident prompted police to obtain an aggravated assault warrant for Sexton, authorities said.
Following the incident at the store, a relative of Sexton called 911 and reported that he was armed with a sword. Police said the family member also told dispatchers that the family believed Sexton posed a danger to others.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. Baney has been decommissioned while the investigation is conducted.
The MNPD is conducting a separate administrative investigation into the shooting, according to the department.
Police have released a portion of Baney’s body-worn camera footage from the encounter. The footage contains potentially disturbing material.
Nashville is located in Davidson County in Middle Tennessee and serves as the state’s capital and largest city. Cheshire Drive is in North Nashville, while the Shell station involved in the earlier incident is located on Charlotte Avenue west of downtown.
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