'He didn't deserve this': Landon Eastep's wife speaks out after Nashville man killed by police

An attorney representing the wife of the man killed by police Thursday on Interstate 65 called his death an "execution."

"We know, you know, everybody with eyes knows," Joy Kimbrough said during a press conference Friday. "He was not bothering anyone. He was not obstructing or impeding traffic."

Nine law enforcement officers opened fire on Landon Eastep on Thursday afternoon as he stood in the middle of I-65 holding a box cutter, and an unidentified "metal, cylindrical object," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported.

The Metro Nashville Police Department reported MNPD officers, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers and an off-duty Mt. Juliet officer fatally shot Eastep near Harding Place about 10 miles south of downtown.

One Nashville officer has already been removed from police duty because of the shooting.

Related: Nashville police release video, body camera footage after officers fatally shoot man

Eastep's wife speaks out

His wife, Chelesy Eastep, spoke out for the first time since his death. She acknowledged Landon Eastep suffered from mental health issues but said he was "very loving" and would sometimes go for walks to clear his head as he did on Thursday.

"I want people to remember that Landon didn't deserve this," Chelesy Eastep said. "Landon wasn't a bad guy. He was crying out for help, and his cries went completely unanswered."

District Attorney Glenn Funk said he has reviewed footage of the shooting and plans to follow the TBI investigation closely, according to a statement released Friday afternoon.

Since 2017, the TBI is called to investigate any fatal shooting involving Nashville police.

"As district attorney, I ended the practice of allowing MNPD to conduct their own investigations of officer-involved shootings. I immediately brought in the TBI and authorized them to conduct a full and impartial investigation of the entire incident," Funk said in an emailed statement.

He said he would take "any appropriate action" when the investigation was complete and pledged to release the full TBI report.

Kimbrough called on Funk to treat the case like any other case.

"They should remove the badge and the uniform from their minds as they analyze this case," Kimbrough said. "Just as any other case where you line up and fire repeatedly on an unarmed man. Justice should really be blind."

Related: Nashville cop stripped of authority after interstate police killing of Landon Eastep

Nashville mayor 'disturbed' by shooting

Nashville Mayor John Cooper expressed his frustrations about the shooting through a statement on Twitter Friday.

"We will learn from this awful event and continue to do everything we can to prevent similar incidents in the future," Cooper said. "My prayers go out to the Eastep family."

Eastep is the first person shot by Nashville police in 2022. His death follows a deadly year where police shot 10 people and killed seven of them.

NAACP Nashville president Sheryl Guinn said Eastep's shooting wasn't a surprise because of previous shootings by police during mental health calls.

"I feel that the community has been completely ignored," Guinn said. "I can't say I'm disappointed when you see it happening over and over again."

Kimbrough shared one of the final text messages from Landon Eastep to Chelesy Eastep, providing insight into the couple's relationship.

"Hey baby, I love you. I just want to tell you good morning, and I hope you have a good day. Thank God we woke up. I love you very much. The keys are in the floorboard if you need them. I thank God every day that I have your beautiful face to look at in my life. I will always have your back and be there when times are hard or one of us is sick. I will always be there for you and just love you with all my heart."

Rachel Wegner and Natalie Neysa Alund contributed to this report.

Adam Friedman is The Tennessean’s state government and politics reporter. Reach him by email at afriedman@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Landon Eastep's wife speaks out after Nashville man killed by police