NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Just minutes before a Nashville woman was shot and killed by her estranged husband in 2021, she was speaking with Metro Police officers.
A lawsuit against Metro says police should have done more to keep that woman safe.
Now, new details from an internal Metro Police investigation — detail several failures in that interaction.
The mother of Michaela Carter is suing Metro Police.
The lawsuit says Carter's estranged husband James Leggett called and sent text messages to her, looking for her, violating a protective order Carter had against Leggett.
When Carter called Metro Police and showed officers the text messages, the lawsuit says officers told her they still didn't have enough evidence to arrest her husband and brought her back home to Antioch.
Leggett then showed up at Carter's door, where police say Leggett then shot and eventually killed Carter.
An attorney for Carter's mother released a report from Metro Police internal investigators. The report was finished last year, but not released to the attorney until last week.
It says Field Training Officer Jason Hees failed to do his job properly.
Among other things, the report says he should have attached the text messages Carter showed him to his report and that he should have offered her counseling or shelter.
Internal investigators found that Officer Hees violated Metro Police policy — a deficient or inefficient performance of duties.
With no previous disciplinary history, Hees was given a two-day suspension last year.
Police eventually arrested James Leggett for the shooting, but an ongoing lawsuit says police should have known they had enough to arrest him for violating the protection order before he shot Carter.
Regarding the lawsuit, Metro Police have said they dispute the suit's version of events, and says the department "takes its responsibilities seriously." MNPD also says it will respond to those claims through the appropriate legal process.
