NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Newly released documentation details multiple orders of protection against Landon Eastep, the man who was shot and killed by police on I-65 during an altercation Thursday afternoon.
The orders filed in September and November 2021 indicate things like alcoholism, violent domestic abuse and hallucinations.
On September 3, Eastep’s wife filed a protective order against her husband of 37 years. According to these documents, he told a Davidson County judge, “Landon promised to strangle and kill me.”
“Obviously, it’s hard not to know him,” said Beth Walser, volunteer behavioral health clinical director. “But, someone who suffers from alcoholism, a lot of times that comes with anger.”
Two months later, on November 17, Eastep’s wife filed a second protection order. That one gave indications that Eastep often had hallucinations. “Landon is delusional and constantly sees things that are not there,” the warrant said.
“Hallucinations, you don’t know if it’s auditory hallucinations…something that tells him to do something,” Walser said. “Is it visual? Are you seeing something? All of that plays a role.”
On Thursday, an interaction with Eastep shut down I-65 after officers said he pulled a box cutter on a state trooper. Officers tried to dissuade him for about half an hour before he pulled out a small “shiny silver cylindrical object” prompting the officers to open fire.
The Metropolitan Police have mental health doctors on staff in some districts, but there are certainly not enough professionals to assign to each officer. According to the police administration, there were no mental health professionals at the scene on Thursday.
“I believe in the power of therapy and doctors,” Walser said. “And I don’t want to say that it would have made a difference, but I think it would have been a huge advantage to have him. Unfortunately, we just won’t know.”
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