The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation recently conducted a search of a home owned by former Metro Nashville Police Department officer Garet Davidson. This move is directly tied to probing the leak of the Covenant School shooter's writings, which were at the center of a contentious battle over their release and confidentiality, WSMV4 Investigates reports.
Connected through a detailed declaration by Lt. Alfredo Arevalo, Davidson is believed to have been responsible for safeguarding the hard drive containing the sensitive investigative files, WSMV4 has gleaned from legal documents. The Tennessee Star even went so far as to publish these writings despite a court order sealing them, a note was passed to Davidson in November 2023 for him to store in a safe at the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) where he was the only one with the combination and, after his resignation from MNPD in December 2023, he surfaced on a radio show discussing the case's details that had not been made public before.
Following the search of his Portland home, questions remain about Davidson's part in how the writings reached the Tennessee Star, which claims the documents were lawfully obtained from a source involved in the investigation, as per a statement highlighted by WSMV4. The journal, found in the shooter's car and comprised 90 pages of content, was published by the media outlet in September despite the legal barriers, drawing criticism and concern from MNPD, who has refrained from commenting officially on the investigation.
Meanwhile, according to a FOX 17 News property records check, similarly the TBI confirmed that the property searched belonged to Davidson and, their involvement in the investigation stems from the leaked contents of the Covenant school shooter's writings which were subject to a legal fight, with several organizations including the Tennessee Star suing for their release though Chancellor I'Ashea Myles ruled they would stay sealed.
Davidson had previously voiced criticism against MNPD, describing it as a good ole boy’s system rife with rank bias, NewsChannel 5 reported based on a June interview he gave; though the TBI has not provided specific details as to the contents of the search or any materials seized, the nexus of the case appears rooted in the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information pertaining to a heinous criminal act.
