Nashville police shooting lawsuit reinstated by appeals court
Written by Black Hot Fire Network Team on January 13, 2026
A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court’s decision and ruled that a lawsuit filed on behalf of Melissa Wooden can proceed. Wooden was tased and shot by Metro Nashville Police Department officers during a mental health crisis in 2021. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the lawsuit plausibly alleges violations of Wooden’s rights.
The incident occurred on March 12, 2021, when Wooden called 911 requesting a SWAT team to come to her Goodlettsville home and kill her. Responding officers encountered her outside holding a pickaxe and a baseball bat.
Sequence of Events
Body camera footage from Officer Benjamin Williams shows him approaching Wooden and asking about her condition. Williams repeatedly assured her that she would not be harmed and attempted to de-escalate the situation. Wooden’s mother arrived on a mobility scooter and informed the officers that her daughter was mentally ill, urging her to drop the weapons.
The mother then attempted to drive toward Wooden on the scooter, but Williams intervened. As Wooden backed away while raising the axe and bat, Williams deployed a taser. Following the taser deployment, Wooden moved toward Williams, who then fired his weapon, striking her twice.
Wooden survived the encounter but sustained severe injuries requiring multiple surgeries and a two-month hospital stay.
Legal Action and Previous Ruling
A federal complaint filed in 2022 accused the officers of excessive force and the Metro government of negligence. District Court Judge William Campbell dismissed the case last year. However, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this decision, stating that Wooden’s lawsuit plausibly alleges violations of her clearly established rights and that the district court erred in dismissing the claim against Metro.
Wooden’s attorney, Kyle Mothershead, stated that the Sixth Circuit’s opinion recognizes the prohibition against law enforcement using violence to resolve a mentally ill individual’s non-threatening mental health crisis.
Mental Health Crisis Response in Nashville
The shooting of Wooden occurred several months after a Policing Policy Commission report identified MNPD’s approach to mental health crises as a problem. The report recommended expanding a co-response model involving officers and mental health professionals. The Partners in Care program was launched in June 2021 and expanded countywide in 2024.
Challenges in responding to individuals experiencing mental health crises persist. In July 2024, Max Van Sickle was shot and killed by officers responding to a call about a “manic episode” and an attempted stabbing. Officers fired on Van Sickle after he ran toward them while holding a knife; the department stated that officers did not have the opportunity to use tasers and that clinicians are not permitted to make first contact with an armed individual.
