NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A tragic shooting occurred on Wednesday within the cafeteria of Antioch High School, resulting in the death of a female student and injuries to another. According to local police reports, the shooter, a 17-year-old male student named Solomon Henderson, subsequently took his own life with a handgun. The victim was identified as 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante. Investigators are currently probing the motivation behind the incident and whether the targeted students were the intended victims.
The incident, which unfolded around 11 a.m. CDT, led to the hospitalization of another male student who suffered a graze injury but was treated and later released. Another individual was hospitalized due to a facial injury sustained during the chaotic events. Metro Nashville Police noted that although there were two resource officers present in the school at the time, they were not nearby when the shooting occurred and arrived just as the shooter had ended his own life.
Located in Antioch, approximately 10 miles southeast of Nashville’s downtown area, the school has an enrollment of about 2,000 students. Following the incident, a family safety center was established near a local hospital to assist parents in reconnecting with their children. Dajuan Bernard, who was anxiously awaiting news of his 10th-grade son, expressed his relief that his child, who was situated away from the cafeteria, had informed him he was safe. “This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere. We need to protect our kids and raise them right to prevent such acts,” Bernard commented.
Fonda Abner, grandmother of a student at the school, voiced her concern regarding the lack of metal detectors at the school, expressing anxiety as she awaited updates from her granddaughter amid the commotion. Nashville’s school superintendent, Adrienne Battle, noted that while the district has implemented various safety measures, including partnerships with law enforcement, security cameras equipped with weapon-detection capabilities, and reinforced entryways, these precautions were insufficient in preventing the tragedy. She indicated that there’s ongoing discourse about the potential need for fixed metal detectors in schools, recognizing the limitations of previous research on their efficacy.
This incident follows another heartbreaking shooting incident in Nashville nearly two years ago when a gunman took the lives of six individuals, including three children, at a different school. The aftermath of that incident spurred community rallies advocating for stricter gun control measures; however, efforts have led to limited legislative changes, especially in a state dominated by Republican lawmakers. Instead of focusing on gun control, legislative actions have leaned more towards enhancing school security, allowing certain school staff to carry concealed weapons while keeping their identities undisclosed.
Antioch has a history of gun violence, including a 2017 shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ and another at a Waffle House in 2018, highlighting the ongoing struggle against gun-related incidents in the area. As the community grapples with this latest tragedy, there is an urgent call for solutions that address the underlying issues contributing to youth violence in schools.
