At least one student was killed after being shot in a Nashville high school cafeteria on Wednesday. Another student opened fire, striking and killing a female student and injuring one more victim before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide.
A spokesperson for the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department (NMPD) told Townhall that the agency received a call at about 11:11 am from Antioch High School reporting the shooting.
Announcement: Antioch High School is on a lockdown due to shots being fired inside the school building. Metro Police are on the scene. The person responsible for shooting is no longer a threat. We will be gathering students in the auditorium and will provide information on…
— Metro Schools (@MetroSchools) January 22, 2025
The caller said a student shot two other students in the cafeteria, injuring them. The gunman then turned the gun on himself. The authorities have not yet provided details on the nature of the injuries the two students sustained during the incident. However, the spokesperson said, “the situation is contained right now.”
The district noted that staff “will be gathering students in the auditorium and will provide information on reunification as soon as possible,” NBC News reported.
ANTIOCH HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING:
— Audrey Mayer (@audsmayer) January 22, 2025
-2 students were shot by another student this morning.
-Shooter turned the gun on himself
-MNPD diverting traffic away from Hobson Pike near the school
-A reunification site for parents has been established at 3754 Murfreesboro Pike@WKRN pic.twitter.com/XbSMBL3h4f
Video footage circulating on social media appears to capture the scene during the incident, but the assailant and his victims cannot be seen. However multiple gunshots can be heard, along with one student saying, “He shot himself,” referring to the shooter.
BREAKING: Video shows Antioch High School shooting in Nashville; 3 students shot in cafeteria pic.twitter.com/5fdPR8b7vW
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 22, 2025
In a post on Facebook, Metro Nashville Public Schools noted that the high school “is on a lockdown due to shots being fired inside the school building.”
NMPD spokesperson Don Aaron during a press conference told reporters that “a person who has been identified as a 17-year-old armed with a pistol fire multiple shots in the cafeteria of the school. The individual wounded two other students, one of them fatally before shooting and killing himself.”
Aaron further explained that a female student who was shot “was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is deceased.”
Another female student suffered “a graze wound to the arm and she is in stable condition at Vanderbilt,” according to Aaron.
There were two school resource officers on the premises, but “by the time the SROs got down there, the shooting had stopped and the shooter had shot himself,” Aaron said.
The suspect has not been identified, but the spokesperson said, “the shooter is male and he’s African-American.”
When asked whether the school had metal detectors or other security measures, Aaron indicated that he is not sure whether the school has taken these steps. He did note that he personally did not see any metal detectors while he was in the building.