NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Expulsion motions have been taken against three House Democrats Monday night.
After a moment on the House floor that was an interruption last week, those same House Democrats now face inactive ID badges to get into the legislature and their names no longer assigned to committees.
NewsChannel 5 confirmed with Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton that he had Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, no longer assigned to any House committees. Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, was just seated and has no committee assignments. Additionally, the trio had their ID badges to get into the legislature turned off.
No damage was done to the Tennessee capitol nor were there any arrests made on the day that Jones, Pearson and Johnson led the crowd from the House floor in the middle of the session with chants. Rep. Jones had a bullhorn. On that day, hundreds arrived at the capitol to try to talk to lawmakers about gun legislation in light of The Covenant School shooting. In the mass shooting, six people — including three 9-year-olds — died at the hand of a 28-year-old Nashvillian. Police said the shooter had several journals planning to shoot the school and had been planning the attack for several months.
On the day in question, those Democrats stopped after they were admonished by members of their own party, and later by the Speaker of the House after a 30-minute recess. Rep. Jones and Rep. Pearson were not formally reprimanded on the floor Thursday. Johnson simply stood with the two.
It's not clear if the three could face harsher punishment, like expulsion from the legislature.
The only member expelled from the House since the Civil War was Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, in 2016 during a special-called session that September. Durham was expelled after an attorney general report found he had harassed 22 women during his time on the hill, and he had amassed campaign finance blunders.
On Monday, March 27, six people were shot and killed by a gunman at The Covenant School.
Police received the 911 call for the shooting at 10:13 a.m. Within 14 minutes, Metro Police were able to take down the shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale.
Hale gained access to the building through a side door that they shot through. From there, the shooter went upstairs and shot at police through the windows.
Two members of an officer team fired on Hale. Those two officers are officer Rex Englebert, a four-year MNPD veteran, and officer Michael Collazo, a nine-year MNPD veteran.
Who died in the shooting?
- Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9
- Hallie Scruggs, 9
- William Kinney, 9
- Cynthia Peak, 61
- Katherine Koonce, 60
- Mike Hill, age 61
The shooter was a 28-year-old Nashvillian who lived in the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood.
