What We Know Three Days After the Nashville Bombing

Early on Christmas morning, an RV exploded in the streets of Nashville.  The situation is quite peculiar.  Three days after the explosion, here’s where things stand.  

At 1:22 a.m., the RV involved was seen in the area where it had exploded.  A few hours later, what appeared to be gunfire was heard in the area.  At 5:30 a.m., the RV was playing a warning to those in the area.  At 6:30 a.m., it exploded (Alund).  

By midday, more of the fallout was made clear.  “AT&T internet and phone service was disrupted in the Nashville area. The outage led to widespread 911 issues in the Nashville area and telecommunications issues at Nashville International Airport, halting outbound flights” (Alund). 

The person responsible for the act is Anthony Quinn Warner.  In speaking to Warner a few days before Christmas, a neighbor of his said that Warner had told him, “Nashville and the world is never going to forget me” (Betz).

Warner was the only death in the incident, but three others were injured.  Over 40 buildings were damaged and one collapsed.  In regard to the motive behind the explosion, David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said, “We don’t know for sure that we’ll ever get to the complete answer, because obviously that individual is no longer with us” (NY Times).

The FBI has not declared this an act of terrorism.  “The types of explosives used in the bombing were still under investigation, authorities said. The FBI said Warner wasn’t on the radar of authorities before Friday’s explosion and declined to deem the explosion an act of terrorism” (Alund). 

There is much left unsolved in this matter and if anyone has any information they should reach out to the Nashville Police Department.  The non-emergency phone number is 615-862-8600.  

Alund, Natalie Neysa. “A Timeline of Friday’s Downtown Explosion in Nashville.” The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean, 28 Dec. 2020, http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/12/25/nashville-explosion-car-bomb-investigation-timeline/4045063001/.

Betz, Bradford. “Nashville Bomber Told Neighbor World ‘Never Going to Forget Me’.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 28 Dec. 2020, http://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-bomber-told-neighbor-world-never-going-to-forget-me.Mcgee, Jamie, and Lucy Tompkins. “Nashville Bomber’s Aim Seemed to Be ‘More Destruction Than Death,’ Official Says.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Dec. 2020, http://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/us/anthony-warner-nashville-bombing-motive.html.