NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Millersville Police Chief Bryan Morris continues to downplay his assistant chief's own words mocking the official story of Nashville's Covenant School shooting and suggesting that one of the victims was actually a villain.
Morris' on-going denials of the facts follow NewsChannel 5's recent discovery of Shawn Taylor's appearance last year with two well-known QAnon conspiracy theorists in a podcast titled: "Debunking the Nashville shooting."
Taylor was hired as the number-two police official in the community just north of Nashville about a year after the podcast interview.
This week, Millersville City Commissioner David Gregory continued to push for Taylor to apologize to the Covenant families for his "reckless, insane ramblings."
Gregory also questioned whether Morris, who also serves as acting city manager, had known about Taylor's bizarre conspiracies regarding the tragic shooting that killed three children and three staff members in March 2023.
Watch the exchange in the video player above
"Did you know about these sayings on podcasts — what he said on Covenant school — before you hired him?" Gregory asked Morris.
The police chief and acting city manager shot back, "What I would like to ask you is have you watched it in its entirety? Have you watched that podcast in its entirety, yes or no?"
"Yeah," Gregory answered.
Morris continued, "And you still stand by the fact that he said that that never happened?"
"What never happened?"
"Covenant. That's not what he said at all, not even close."
As NewsChannel 5 Investigates first reported, in the podcast video, "Shawn Taylor cannot seem to decide which ridiculous idea he likes more."
Taylor's words have drawn condemnation from the Covenant community. And experts say Taylor's conspiracy theories raise questions about his fitness to carry a gun and a badge, with power to arrest people in his community.
But Morris and a majority of the Millersville City Commission have declined to criticize the assistant police chief.
Below are Shawn Taylor's own words — words that, Chief Morris suggests, are no big deal.
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Shawn Taylor falsely claims that Metro Nashville police "had did a training and simulation at that school the week previous."
For Taylor's fellow conspiracy theorists, that was a significant discovery — and a potential connection to other school shootings that they also believe to have been faked.
In fact, that's a lie. Metro Nashville police had NOT previously trained at Covenant.
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Shawn Taylor falsely claims that headmaster Katherine Koonce was part of a child trafficking "ring." That is a lie!
Police say there was no such investigation nor any evidence of wrongdoing.
In fact, they say Koonce died a hero's death trying to save the children under her care.
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Shawn Taylor falsely suggests that the police bodycam video, showing officers rushing into Covenant, may have been staged.
As part of their conspiracy theory, Taylor and his fellow conspiracy theorists argue that school employees guiding police to the shooter were not showing any fear.
In fact, the video is real, and multiple witnesses have corroborated the story told in the video from that horrific day.
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Shawn Taylor falsely argues the Covenant shooting may have been a "diversion" to cover up for something else.
Michael Jaco insists that he doesn't think the Covenant School shooting is real, and Shawn Taylor nods along and provides what he says may be evidence to back up Jaco's claims.
He suggests it may have been a diversion to cover up misdeeds by Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk or Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
In fact, there is ZERO evidence that the Covenant shooting was anything other than what police have said.
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Shawn Taylor bizarrely claimed there was a connection between the Covenant shooting and a political fundraiser for the House Freedom Fund.
That fundraiser was two weeks later.
According to an invitation shown by Taylor, the special guests included Republican members of Congress Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, as well as Mark Green and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.
Taylor suggested the connection was Nashville Republican donor Lee Beaman, who had faced allegations of sexual misconduct stemming from a previous marriage.
"This has everything to do with this shooting," Taylor insisted.
In fact, it has NOTHING to do with the shooting.
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Shawn Taylor falsely suggests that a patrol car hit by gunfire may not have actually been hit by gunshots at Covenant School itself.
Bizarrely, Taylor claims that Green Hills, the part of town where Covenant is located, "is a small area" compacted with tall buildings.
He adds, "You are going to hear that throughout the city of Green Hills."
In fact, Covenant is located on a hill, not surrounded by tall buildings — and Green Hills is a sprawling area known for its bumper-to-bumper traffic.
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Shawn Taylor agrees there was something suspicious about Metro police releasing the names of the officers who ended the school shooting. There's not!
In fact, Nashville police routinely release the names of officers involved in shootings, sometimes within an hour or two of the events.
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Shawn Taylor bizarrely claims Green Hills is the perfect place to stage an incident where one can "control everything around the scene."
Again, the shooter is the only one who chose the location for the violent rampage.
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Shawn Taylor lies and says gun protests at the state Capitol in the days after the Covenant shooting were part of a "transgender" effort.
The protests were coordinated by groups with a well-documented history of activism on the issue of gun violence — and ZERO connection to gender issues.
Part One: Meet Millersville's conspiracy cop. He believes the completely bogus QAnon conspiracy theory that falsely claimed Democrats had kept child sex slaves locked up in the basement of a pizza parlor in Washington, D.C.
He imagines sinister plots involving some of the country's most prominent political figures, including his theory — with no evidence whatsoever — that former Vice President Al Gore was involved in the disappearance and murder of 20-year-old Holly Bobo in 2011.
Taylor recently landed in Millersville as assistant police chief, promising to root out the corruption he sees there.
You can continue reading at this hyperlink.
Part Two: The controversy over Millersville's conspiracy cop, first uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, has now become the latest scandal rocking the tiny town just north of Nashville.
Now, two city commissioners want a special meeting to figure out how Shawn Taylor landed his job as the city's assistant police chief.
At the center of the controversy: Do Millersville residents want a high-ranking police official — with a gun, badge and the power to arrest people — who believes in bizarre conspiracy theories with no real evidence to back them up?
You can continue reading Part Two at this link.
Part Three: An attorney for Millersville conspiracy cop Shawn Taylor has told Millersville's city commission, whom he also represents, that they should not question the assistant police chief's bizarre theories or psychological fitness because his client Shawn Taylor could sue his other client, the city.
The attorney's advice, delivered in an email sent Thursday, responded to a request from two city commissioners for a special meeting to review Taylor's hiring following NewsChannel 5's investigation of the self-described "gypsy cop."
"Interrogating Assistant Chief Taylor about his political viewpoints or political speech will violate his First Amendment rights and thereby expose the City to significant legal liability...," wrote Bryant Kroll.
You can read more of this installment at this link.
Part Four: Anna Caudill agreed to watch the video of Shawn Taylor knowing there might be only so much she could handle.
"So we'll start this," I reassured her, "and then, when you've had enough, you just stop it."
In the podcast video uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Taylor shared bogus conspiracy theories about Nashville's Covenant School shooting. Now the assistant police chief in Millersville, Taylor was between police jobs at the time he recorded the podcast with two other conspiracy theorists.
For Anna, the mass shooting was personal.
Among the three children and three adults killed that day was her friend, Katherine Koonce, the school's beloved headmaster who was gunned down as she tried to stop the shooter.
You can read more of Anna's story by tapping on this link.
Part Five: First, he went after Millersville’s former mayor.
Now, the town’s assistant police chief says his two critics on the city commission could be next.
Shawn Taylor, who has become known as Millersville’s conspiracy cop, made those comments as he turned to a group of far-right podcasters to defend himself against questions raised by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
Tap this link to read from those Taylor's accused.
Part Six: Millersville officials are standing with their assistant police chief and his bizarre conspiracy theories regarding Nashville's Covenant School shooting.
City Commissioner David Gregory urged his fellow commissioners to demand that Shawn Taylor apologize for a 2023 podcast in which he had questioned the official story. Taylor falsely claimed that video released by police was actually staged.
But the three-member majority ignored Gregory's plea, just as they have refused a recent request by Gregory and Commissioner Cristina Templet for a special meeting of the city commission to discuss Taylor's hiring.
Read how this meeting played out at this link.
Part Seven: Bryant Kroll wears a lot of hats.
He's the attorney representing the embattled City of Millersville. He also represents Mayor Tommy Long, who faces accusations of misconduct in an ouster suit. Plus, he's the personal attorney for Police Chief Bryan Morris and Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor, representing them in a lawsuit against the City of Ridgetop.
To understand the role he plays, you can read that here.
Part Eight: In Shawn Taylor's world — in the immortal words of Taylor Swift — "I'm the problem, it's me."
Not his bizarre conspiracy theories — with no evidence — imagining some of the most prominent people in the country are engaged in child sex trafficking.
I explain how we got here in this piece, which you can click on here.
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