NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) – On Saturday morning, Subway Police Chief John Drake answered questions from reporters after a deadly shootout involving one of his officers.
Nika Holbert died of her injuries on Friday after Holbert and Officer Josh Baker exchanged gunfire in a Dollar General parking lot on Brick Church Pike.
“I looked at the bodycam footage, he seemed to be doing everything he could to de-escalate the situation, including using taser, including trying not to use his firearm,” said Chief Drake.
On the morning of the shooting, Officer Baker stopped a black Chevy Camaro after running the number plates through their system and seeing that the owner of the car, Demond Buchanan, had six drug packages outstanding. Baker soon realized that the owner was not behind the wheel.
Instead, it was Nika Holbert. Body cameras released by MNPD showed that Officer Baker found drugs in the car, sent them to radio, and tried to take Holbert into custody. Then everything escalated.
“Do me a favor and turn around,” Baker said.
“No, don’t put me in handcuffs. I haven’t done anything wrong,” replied Holbert as she walked away from the officer.
The video shows Baker warning Holbert that she was about to get tazed. When she retreats back into the car, he deploys the taser. Then you see that Holbert is reaching for something with her right hand. Baker believes it is a gun. “Ma’am, put the gun down, put the gun down,” Baker shouted.
Holbert and the officer then exchange gunfire. Subway police say Baker was shot once, Holbert twice. She then tried to get away, only to drive the Camaro into a ditch. Holbert later died of her injuries.
“There is nothing he could have done better than maybe leave the scene and let her go, and clearly he couldn’t,” said Chief John Drake.
Drake says Baker couldn’t let her go because he found out she was in possession of drugs and because she was driving without a Tennessee driver’s license.
Nika’s mother responds
Nika Holbert’s mother thinks it should never have come this far. She called NewsChannel 5 and wanted to share what she thinks her daughter’s perspective on this story is. She has asked us not to use her name for the sake of her own safety.
“There are a thousand scenarios that could have happened where they could both run away. My daughter should be alive today,” said Holbert’s mother.
Nika’s mom tells NewsChannel 5 she doesn’t know the owner of the car her daughter was driving. “If I did, I’d have him arrested yesterday. I don’t know that guy, ”she added.
She also said she wasn’t surprised Nika pulled out a gun, saying she was clearly scared. “He tried to kill her with that taser and she was trying to protect herself,” she said.
Holbert’s mother is now in the process of hiring a lawyer and is considering her legal options.
Latest on Officer Baker’s condition
Chief John Drake visited injured agent Josh Baker in his hospital room at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Saturday morning. “He was still in a little bit of pain, understandably. His stomach was – he had surgery, so he was still a little groggy,” said Drake.
The 14-year-old veteran of the force could be released in the coming days.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is still investigating the matter, but it is ultimately up to District Attorney General Glenn Funk whether further legal action will be taken.
Here’s the full press conference with Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake: