Man with information on body found in river killed in SWAT shootout, Tennessee cops say
UPDATE: The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said late Sunday that Adrian Cameron’s 16-year-old son is charged “with the shooting death” of Josh Evans and that “efforts continue” to bring him into custody. The original story is below.
A man who police said had information on a body found in a Tennessee river was killed in a shootout with SWAT officers.
Around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, the SWAT team with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department responded to the Days Inn parking lot on Percy Priest Drive to help detectives arrest 47-year-old Adrian Cameron and search his motel room, according to Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the police department.
Cameron was wanted on a “state parole violation warrant” and for questioning in the killing of 50-year-old Josh Evans, Aaron said in a video posted on the police department’s YouTube channel.
On Monday, a tugboat operator found Evans’ body wrapped in trash bags in the Cumberland River in west Nashville, according to police. Investigators later determined that Evans — who was from Lebanon, Tennessee, and last seen alive on Sept. 4 — had been shot to death.
Investigators believed that Cameron had “significant information” about Evans’ killing.
He had also “threatened witnesses involved in the case” and was “known to be armed,” Aaron said. The SWAT team was requested to help homicide officers arrest Cameron on the parole violation charge after a “threat assessment.”
While outside the motel, police said officers made “repeated announcements for Cameron to peacefully surrender.”
“After a woman came out of the motel room and was escorted away by officers, Cameron emerged and opened fire on the SWAT team in the parking lot below with his AR-15 weapon,” Aaron said in the video.
Three SWAT team members returned fire, hitting Cameron, Aaron said. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
The police department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are investigating the officer-involved shooting.
“TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews,” the TBI said in a news release. “Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration.”
Aaron said the police department is conducting an administrative review of the shooting.
He said detectives are also continuing to pursue “strong active leads” in the original investigation.
No other information about the Evans case or the officer-involved shooting had been released as of Sunday.
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Man with information on body found in river killed in SWAT shootout, Tennessee cops say."
