Family Of Jocques Clemmons Revives Pressure On Metro Police

Friends and family of an African American man killed by a Nashville police officer earlier this year say they will not forget. They’ve now begun what they say will be daily protests outside Metro’s East police precinct until the patrolman is fired.

Jocques Clemmons was fatally shot three times by officer Joshua Lippert after running from a traffic stop earlier this year. Lippert has been on administrative duty since the incident in February.

Protesters who gathered Monday say police are delaying a decision about Lipper’s employment, hoping that the community will forget.

“I believe they are trying to wait us out,” says Theeda Murphy, one of the organizers of Justice For Jocques. “But we haven’t forgotten, we are not going to forget. We are not just going to walk away and be quiet.”

In May, Lippert was cleared of criminal wrongdoing after an investigation led by the TBI. He was also cleared by the Office of Professional Accountability.

At that time, Police Chief Steve Anderson announced that another investigation by a Use of Force Review Board would decide whether Lippert violated department policy and determine if he’d be fired or be reinstated. According to a spokesperson, that inquiry began in May. There are still no updates.

Guidelines laid out in the Metro Police manual say the review should begin within 30 days of the incident. But there are no rules about how long the investigation may last.

But Sheila Clemmons Lee, Jocques’s mother, says it doesn’t matter how long it takes. She says she plans to keep showing up.

“The day before the funeral, I promised him that I wouldn’t give up, that I would keep fighting for justice for him, his children and anyone else.” she says. “It’s not just about Jocques anymore.”