Gun Jams, Knife Comes Out: One Dead After Bizarre Courthouse Shooting In Nashville
A man armed with a pistol was shot and killed by a security officer at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in Nashville on Thursday morning, WSMV reported, citing Metro Nashville police.
Police said the man tried to fire his gun at the courthouse security checkpoint but failed, then pulled out a knife and was shot by the security officer. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died. A police spokesperson said it was "the first time anything like this has happened at this courthouse," and that the man did not get past the checkpoint.
The man was in his 40s and from out of state, with "ties to Nashville," police said. His name has not been released. Officers searched his car, parked nearby, and "found nothing threatening" inside, police spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters, according to the Nashville Banner.
NASHVILLE DEADLY SHOOTING AT FEDERAL COURTHOUSE: According to Metro police, a man in his 40s from out of state came in the front entrance of the building and approached the security checkpoint with a pistol. He attempted to discharge the weapon but it did not fire. @WKRN https://t.co/Mf66lsazLD
— Kendall Ashman (@KendallWKRN) October 8, 2026
The shooter reportedly worked with the U.S. Marshals Service, according to reports (he was not a US Marshal himself). The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is taking over the inquiry into the shooting and the officer's actions. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire said federal officials will work with the TBI to establish the facts, adding, "Right now there's a lot that we're still learning."
The Nashville Public Library's main branch nearby was evacuated after the shooting.
