A man in his 40s was shot and killed Thursday morning after he allegedly tried to fire a pistol inside a federal courthouse in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, and then confronted a security officer with a knife.
The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse on Church Street, according to Metro Nashville police.
Police said the man, who was from out of state, entered through the main entrance and approached the security checkpoint with a pistol. He attempted to fire the weapon, but it did not discharge.
The man then pulled out a knife and confronted a security officer, who opened fire, according to police spokesperson Don Aaron.
“The security individual fired on the armed individual,” Aaron said. The man was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Aaron said investigators did not immediately know why the man had come to the courthouse. The man’s vehicle was found parked on 7th Avenue North and was searched by police, but officers found “nothing threatening” inside.
Federal courthouse entrances are secured by armed security personnel, with the entrances typically staffed by former police officers working under contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service.
“That’s the entrance that most people in this courthouse use,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire said. The shooting led to a security response around the courthouse and nearby areas. The Nashville Public Library next door was evacuated and later announced that its main branch would remain closed for the rest of Thursday.
Officers with dogs were also seen checking the area as workers in nearby buildings gathered outside. Nearby Hume-Fogg High School was not placed on lockdown. A Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson said police determined there was no threat to nearby schools.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been called in to assist with the investigation.
Authorities have not released the man’s identity or said what led him to the courthouse. It also remains unclear why he brought the gun and knife into the building or whether he had a specific target.