Metro Nashville officer shot was honored days before shooting for saving 2 lives
“He was kind of a one man show and had to take everything into his own hands.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Two days before Metro Nashville Police Department Detective Donovan Coble was shot by suspected car burglar, Delama Casimir, he was named Officer of the Year by a service organization. The Exchange Club of Donelson-Hermitage says they chose him because he saved the lives of two people.
Each year they select a firefighter and police officer for the honor. The Exchange Club asks the Hermitage Precinct Commander to select the officer to be honored. This year, they chose Detective Coble for an incident that happened last year down the street from where Thursday’s shooting took place.
“He’s a hero and then to hear what happened to him this week, it was like ‘oh my gosh’,” said Amy Charles, an Exchange Club Board Member.
Before Tuesday she didn’t know who Metro Police Detective Coble was; not until the club honored him.
“Police officer, you think they are tough and strong, and they are,” Charles said. “But he was humble, appreciative, he had his family there. His sweet wife was there and was just a normal guy.”
A normal guy who responded to a person stabbed several times last year. Metro Police says it happened on Donelson Pike near I-40 at a homeless camp.
“And then he started administering CPR and working on that person,” Charles explained. “And then another individual came walking out of the woods. Apparently, her face had been slashed, so he was helping both of them.”
Metro Police say ambulances were coming, but they were more than 10 minutes away.
“He was kind of a one man show and had to take everything into his own hands,” Charles said. “And ended up putting them into his patrol car to get them to a hospital and saved their lives.”
She said the doctor reported if it wasn’t for Coble’s swift actions, they wouldn’t be here today.
Detective Coble has been with MNPD for four years and was part of the Partners in Care Project that pairs officers with mental health professionals. He was also named Top Cop in his Metro Police graduating class.
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