Antioch High School shooting: Nashville police say 1 student killed, 1 wounded

CNN
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Regulation enforcement officers looking for a motive for a taking pictures at Nashville’s Antioch Excessive College on Wednesday morning are analyzing alarming social media posts and purported writings tied to a teen police say shot and killed a 16-year-old lady.

The shooter, recognized by Metro Nashville Police as 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, fired a number of rounds inside a cafeteria shortly after 11 a.m. –– killing Josselin Corea Escalante, who was described by her household as variety and loving, CNN affiliate WTVF reported.

Henderson killed himself after the assault, police stated.

One scholar, a 17-year-old boy, suffered a graze wound to the arm and was handled and launched, police stated, whereas one other male scholar sustained a facial harm however was not shot. Police didn’t title these victims.

Wednesday’s tragedy, which despatched college students within the cafeteria scrambling for canopy, was the primary faculty taking pictures within the US this 12 months, based mostly on CNN’s faculty taking pictures database parameters. There have been 83 faculty shootings in 2024, essentially the most of any 12 months CNN has tracked.

The taking pictures was partially reside streamed on Kick, in accordance with an announcement launched by the Australian streaming platform on Wednesday. The corporate added that the account and video had been “quickly banned.”

“Violence has no place on Kick. We’re actively working with regulation enforcement and taking all applicable steps to help their investigation,” the assertion stated.

Authorities are investigating whether or not the victims had been instantly focused by Henderson or struck by random gunfire, Metro Nashville Police stated.

The division, together with detectives within the Murder Unit have additionally been analyzing “very regarding on-line writings and social media posts” which they are saying might reveal clues to Henderson’s motive.

A few of the on-line writings purportedly tied to Henderson’s social media accounts include violent, racist and antisemitic content material, CNN affiliate WTVF and The Tennessean newspaper reported.

The writings embrace detailed plans for the taking pictures and causes behind committing the assault, together with mentions of different shootings, the shops stated.

Antioch senior Brandi Lemons was about to get in line to purchase lunch within the cafeteria when she all of the sudden heard a loud “pop,” she stated.

College students within the lunch line circled to see what the noise was. Then, three extra loud pops rang out.

“Everyone began working and I ran to the left aspect of the cafeteria,” Brandi informed CNN.

Everybody tried to climb over a milk counter to succeed in the again door of the cafeteria and escape, she stated. Some college students struggled to climb over-the-counter, so Brandi tried to help them.

“Truthfully, I made a decision to assist folks earlier than I helped myself as a result of I do know if that was me struggling to get out, I’d need any individual to assist me,” she stated. “A few of them had been getting caught, like their shoe was getting caught.”

All of a sudden, the shooter got here across the nook the place Brandi and others had been hiding, she stated. She didn’t know the shooter, she stated.

“After I realized that he noticed the remainder of us nonetheless within the nook, I believed that was it,” Brandi stated by tears. “I believed he was going to get us too.”

However as a substitute, the shooter killed himself.

Rapidly after, Brandi climbed over the milk counter with the opposite college students and ran exterior.

“I’m simply shaken up,” she informed CNN.

Josselin Corea Escalante’s father is past devastated by the loss, he informed WTVF. He stated his daughter at all times received good grades and loved enjoying soccer.

Despite the fact that she was an older sister, Josselin was nonetheless daddy’s little lady, German Corea informed WTVF.

“Day-after-day I informed her how a lot I liked her,” Corea informed the affiliate in Spanish.

When he despatched her to highschool Wednesday, he by no means imagined she wouldn’t come residence, Corea stated.

“It’s not truthful,” he stated.

Josselin’s aunt Maria Corea stated the household is puzzled.

“Oh God. She was my lady,” she informed WTVF. “She was a really calm lady and well-behaved. She had good grades in class. She was a lady who liked her mother and father and all her household.”

Antioch group reeling and in shock

It was “a heartbreaking day” for the varsity group, the director of the Metro Nashville Public Faculties district stated.

“My coronary heart goes out to the households of our college students as they face unimaginable loss. I need to thank the varsity workers who shortly and heroically adopted emergency protocols, probably stopping additional hurt, in addition to the Metro Nashville Police Division and Nashville Hearth Division for his or her swift and pressing response,” Adrienne Battle stated in an announcement.

The district stated it was making counselors obtainable to college students. The college can be closed for the remainder of the week, the district stated.

“Antioch households, MNPS social staff and steering counselors can be obtainable to help you and your scholar,” the varsity district stated.

Antioch Excessive College has round 2,000 college students in grades 9 by 12, in accordance with its web site. The college is in Nashville’s Antioch neighborhood, about 10 miles southeast of downtown.

Two scholar useful resource officers, referred to as SROs, had been within the faculty on the time of the taking pictures, however the incident was over by the point they received to the scene, police spokesperson Don Aaron stated.

“They weren’t within the quick neighborhood of the cafeteria … By the point the SROs received down there, the taking pictures had stopped, and the shooter had shot himself,” he stated.

In a vigil held at Antioch Church on Wednesday night, residents and officers gathered to mourn the victims of the assault. Leaders of the gathering urged attendees to inhale and let loose an exhale, in accordance with WTVF.

“We grieve collectively tonight as a metropolis. We responded collectively earlier at present. We’ve got to reply tomorrow amidst the chaos. We really feel frustration and anguish. We’ll heal collectively. Our communities deserve higher. I’ve two daughters and they need to be protected and really feel protected,” Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell stated on the vigil.

Democratic Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones, whose district contains components of Nashville and was a vocal proponent of recent gun management legal guidelines following the taking pictures deaths of three college students and three adults at The Covenant College in Nashville in March 2023, stated Wednesday no youngster must be scared “due to the omnipresent menace of gun violence.”

“The concern reverberating across the Antioch and Nashville communities at present is a chilling reminder of the human value of political inaction and the mindless tragedy of gun violence perpetuated by leaders who’ve prioritized firearms and the income of the gun trade over the lives of our college students,” Jones stated.

Jones was one in every of two Black lawmakers expelled then swiftly reinstated after calling for gun management reform on the Home ground in 2023.

CNN’s Dalia Faheid, Rebekah Riess, Alex Leeds Matthews and Ryan Younger contributed to this report.

This story has been up to date with further data.

Correction: An earlier model of this story misgendered the coed struggling a graze wound. He’s male, police stated in an replace.