Phil Williams on Millersville's conspiracy cop: 'Shawn Taylor thinks I am the real problem' (2024)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Shawn Taylor's world — in the immortal words of Taylor Swift — "I'm the problem, it's me."

Not his bizarre conspiracy theories — with no evidence — imagining some of the most prominent people in the country are engaged in child sex trafficking.

Not his grotesque accusation that former Vice President Al Gore and a prominent Tennessee banker were involved in the murder of 20-year-old Holly Bobo in West Tennessee in 2011 — again, with zero evidence.

Not his outrageous claims that Nashville's horrific Covenant School shooting was staged and his completely unfounded accusation that one of the victims killed that day was also involved in child sex trafficking.

Yes, Shawn Taylor thinks I am the real problem.

As the Millersville City Commission prepares for a special meeting Friday night to discuss Taylor's hiring, the assistant police chief appeared Wednesday night on another far-right podcast to defend himself.

And to blame me.

"We are not going to have it," Taylor insisted.

"We are supposed to protect the citizens from bullies and from people having their civil rights violated and, by God, that's what we're going to do. And we're not going to stand here and take it from him, of all people. We're not taking it from him."

In Shawn Taylor's mind, his troubles began when I started investigating him.

"Nobody knew who I was. Nobody knew anything about me until Phil Williams came out and started doing these stories."

So what is his problem with my investigation?

"He's already making stuff up," Taylor told the podcasters. "Right now, he's changing the narrative of what I've said and he's putting out things that are not true."

Remember, my investigation has been completely based on Taylor's own words — and the bizarre conspiracy theories that he spreads with zero evidence.

Taylor falsely claimed that NewsChannel 5 has retracted and deleted some of our well-documented reports about him because we realized we had gone too far.

That's a complete figment of his imagination.

But this sworn police officer showed he doesn't really need evidence.

"One of the things I want to send a shout-out to, I don't know who this guy is, and I don't know anything about him," he told the podcasters as he pulled out his phone.

Then, despite his admission to knowing nothing about the person to whom he was giving a "shout-out," he held his phone up to the camera, sharing a tweet from that person.

About me.

The tweet claimed that I was "covering up a Davison [sic] county pedophile ring."

So had the assistant police chief not googled the person to find out that he is well-known in the Nashville area for seriously unstable behavior?

"I've got no idea who he is," Taylor admitted.

"But what I'm saying is: we have people coming to us and giving us information, filling in some of the blanks. So what's happening is, we're getting more information and more information and more information. At some point in time, we are going to have to figure out what's happening, why is this occurring?

"What are people afraid of? All of a sudden, we have people bringing us information. You know, we're going to have to figure out what all of this is."

This week, city commissioners received an email from a Presbyterian minister pleading for them to investigate Taylor's denials of what really happened at Covenant School.

"I write to you today as a concerned pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, which lost precious members of our flock during the horrendous shooting at the Covenant School in 2023, among whom were children of a colleague," wrote the Rev. Ian Hard, pastor of Christ Church PCA.

He continued:

"It has come to my attention that Assistant Chief Taylor has made slanderous comments regarding the tragic Covenant shooting, claiming footage of the response was staged, and has propagated baseless accusations against the headmaster- suggesting involvement in child trafficking.

"As custodians of justice and guardians of our community's welfare, it is imperative that we address such serious allegations with the utmost urgency and gravity they deserve. These unfounded claims not only sow seeds of doubt and division among citizens but also undermine the trust and integrity of our law enforcement and educational institutions.

"How can future jurors be asked to trust the reports and testimonies of a law enforcement officer who so flagrantly abuses the truth? Recent video recorded and disseminated by News Channel 5 indicates that despite weeks of reporting on this matter, some members of the town leadership have not taken time to investigate what Assistant Chief Taylor has been saying. Please, remedy that.

"As a pastor, I firmly believe in the power of truth and righteousness. It is incumbent upon us, as leaders and stewards of our community, to uphold these values at all times. The dissemination of falsehoods and slander not only tarnishes the reputations of individuals but also erodes the very fabric of our society. Consider how you would feel if someone in government spread falsehood about members of your family, church, or town."

But, in his podcast interview, Shawn Taylor showed no awareness of the harm his words have caused.

The real issue, in his mind, is what he thinks I have done to him.

"There's no way I could go anywhere else in this country and go into law enforcement after what Phil has done."

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