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. This incident comes nearly two years after another school shooting in Nashville raised significant discussions surrounding gun control in the state of Tennessee.
Investigators have reported that the shooter, a 17-year-old student named Solomon Henderson, ultimately took his own life using a handgun following the attack. According to Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron, Henderson confronted and shot 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante, fatally injuring her. Authorities are currently examining the shooter’s motive and whether he specifically targeted the individuals he shot.
Another male student sustained a minor injury from a grazing bullet but was treated and subsequently released from the hospital, while a separate student’s facial injury, resulting from a fall during the chaos, led to their hospitalization. During the shooting, two school resource officers were present on campus, but they were not immediately located in the cafeteria and arrived only after the situation had escalated, by which point the gunman had already taken his life.
Antioch High School, which houses approximately 2,000 students, is situated about ten miles south-east of Nashville’s downtown area. Parents were directed to a nearby family safety center to reconnect with their children amidst the shock following the incident.
Dajuan Bernard was anxiously waiting to reunite with his 10th-grade son at a local service station and relayed that he initially learned of the shooting from his son, who said he was startled but ultimately safe. “This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere. We’ve just got to protect the kids and raise them right,” said Bernard, emphasizing the challenges of preventing such violence.
Fonda Abner expressed her concerns for her granddaughter, a student at Antioch High, noting that the school lacks metal detectors that could detect weapons. While attempting to communicate with her granddaughter during the tense situation, Abner was left feeling nervous as the call was interrupted. “It’s nerve-wracking waiting out here,” she admitted.
Adrienne Battle, the superintendent of Nashville schools, indicated that measures have been enacted to enhance safety across public schools, which include partnerships with police for resource officers, security cameras equipped with weapon-detection technology, and shatter-resistant film for glass surfaces. However, Battle acknowledged that these precautions were insufficient to avert the tragedy. She also raised questions about the potential introduction of stationary metal detectors in schools and reflected on the need for continuing to explore new safety technologies.
This incident follows an earlier situation in October when a 16-year-old student was arrested for attempting to bring a gun onto the Antioch High campus, revealing ongoing concerns about weapon possession within schools. The latest shooting echoes the tragic events of nearly two years ago when a gunman opened fire at a private elementary school in Nashville, resulting in the deaths of six individuals, including three children, leading to intense calls for reform on gun control.
Despite pleas from community advocates for lawmakers to enact tighter gun regulations, in a state where Republicans largely dominate the legislature, such changes have not materialized. Lawmakers have instead opted to enhance security at schools, including measures that allow certain staff members to carry concealed firearms without parental knowledge.
Antioch, recognized for its diversity and growth, has experienced previous violent incidents, including a 2017 shooting at a church that left one person dead and several injured, as well as a 2018 Waffle House shooting that claimed four lives. State Representative Shaundelle Brooks, whose campaign was significantly motivated by her son’s death in the 2018 shooting, is now calling for urgent reforms. “We must do better,” she conveyed, lamenting the persistence of gun violence in the community.
A parent named Samantha Dickerson faced distress when she could not contact her 14-year-old son due to a punishment that involved taking away his phone. Upon finally receiving a call from her child’s English teacher and hearing his voice after hours of anxiety, Dickerson broke down in tears, reflecting the profound emotional toll of such incidents on families.
