A Nashville Christmas morning explosion rocked the streets as officers were responding to a report of shots fired in the area.
Metro Nashville Police Department officers responded to the call of shots fired around 5:30 a.m. CT Friday Christmas morning. On arrival they found a motor home parked in front of an AT&T transmission building at 166 2nd Avenue North. A recorded message that indicated a bomb would explode in 15 minutes was heard coming from the RV, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during a news conference.
Officers saw no immediate evidence of shots fired but they requested the department’s hazardous devices unit and started to evacuate neighborhood residents, police said.
The RV exploded at 6:30 a.m. CT as the bomb squad was responding, police spokesman Don Aaron said.
“We do believe this to have been an intentional act,” he said. “Significant damage has been done to the infrastructure there on 2nd Avenue North.”
At least three were injured this morning in the blast, including a police officer who had been evacuating the area.
The FBI Memphis office is seeking information and digital media from today’s explosion in Nashville, Tennessee. Tips can be submitted digitally at fbi.gov/nashville or by phone by dialing 1-800-CALL-FBI. There have been several recent threats against the FBI and others.
Nashville Christmas Morning Explosion Update
Authorities have found what they believe to be human remains near the site of the explosion in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the ongoing investigation.
The remains have been sent to the medical examiner’s office for analysis.