Nashville police officer who died in the line of duty attended WKU

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- A Nashville Metro police officer who died in the line of duty Thursday morning was a student at Western Kentucky University.

According to his Linkedin page, Officer John Anderson attended Western Kentucky University from 2009-2013. The Linkedin page also states that Anderson worked for the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department for eight months beginning in October 2012.

WKU spokesman Bob Skipper confirmed Anderson attended Western.

WKU Police Department in an evening tweet, said Anderson served as a student explorer at WKUPD while he attended school here.

Another former WKU alum and WKUPD former explorer said Anderson knew his calling in life was to become a police officer.

“Anderson was a great guy who had a passion for helping others and always knew his calling was to be a police officer,” Kayela West, of Nashville, Tenn. told WNKY. “I only knew him for a short time, but by the stories he told me about his childhood, his friends and his family, he loved everyone.

“He was a strong willed, go getter and never let anything stand in his way. His Jeep was his pride and joy back then, and he often let all of us explorers take a ride.

“He will be extremely missed,” West said.

This is the second law enforcement loss for West who also fondly remembers another former WKUPD explorer, Eric Chrisman, who became a Kentucky State Police trooper. Chrisman also died in a line of duty car crash in 2015.

Chrisman was the explorer captain when both West and Anderson served.

“Eric Chrisman was a role model to all of us,” she said. “He was a leader, a passionate young man who respected the WKU, Bowling Green and Kentucky State Police officers who worked with us daily. Chrisman looked up to his brother who served in the United States military and often talked about how he strived to be like him. He was a wonderful and passionate young man who was taken too soon.”

Around 3 a.m. Thursday, police in Nashville say a 17-year-old driver sped off after an officer attempted to pull her over.

As she sped away, authorities said she hit a different police vehicle at the intersection of Interstate Drive and Woodland Street. The collision caused the police vehicle to spin out and hit a utility pole, resulting in the cruiser catching fire.

The officer in that vehicle was Anderson, a four-year veteran on the force. He died at the scene.

The teen is facing a number of charges, including vehicular homicide.