A Nashville patrol officer now being celebrated for getting an AR-style pistol and marijuana off the street in Cleveland Park is the same officer at the center of a fatal 2023 shooting that sparked a wrongful-death lawsuit.
Officer Cole Ranseen was named East Precinct Officer of the Month after a recent stop in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, where officers recovered an AR-style pistol and marijuana. The department labeled Ranseen’s work an “exemplary performance” and rolled out the recognition in a Facebook post early Thursday.
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Ranseen noticed what the post described as suspicious activity in Cleveland Park. When officers approached, the subject tried to run but was detained. During the encounter, police say they found the AR-style pistol and marijuana and credited Ranseen with the apprehension. The social post did not list any specific criminal charges or booking details tied to the stop.
Officer’s Prior Shooting And Ongoing Legal Scrutiny
For many Nashvillians, Ranseen’s name rings a bell for a far more explosive reason.
He was identified by police as the officer involved in an October 2023 shooting in Antioch that left a man dead, an incident that triggered a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inquiry. As reported by The Associated Press, police said officers encountered a man holding another person at knifepoint, and that Ranseen fired during the confrontation.
The fallout from that shooting did not end with the TBI investigation. Court filings available on Justia show the victim’s family filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit naming Ranseen and other officers. That ongoing case has kept Ranseen under a legal microscope even as he continues to serve with the department.
Department Post And What Comes Next
The same Facebook message that detailed the Cleveland Park stop also announced Ranseen as East Officer of the Month, framing the incident as sharp, proactive patrol work rather than a routine traffic stop.
Per the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the post did not include any follow-up information such as formal charges, arrest booking data, or a linked press release. Typically, those details surface later through official reports or public records.
For now, the Facebook post is the department’s lone public account of both the Cleveland Park encounter and the award pinned to it. Residents who want to track how the case unfolds or gauge safety trends in Cleveland Park will have to watch for future updates from the department or search Metro’s public booking databases for more specifics.
