Nashville Bombing Suspect Died In Christmas Morning Explosion

Law Enforcement Officials Stated Sunday A 63-Year Old Man Of Antioch, Tennessee Was Likely Responsible For The Bombing. FBI Found Tissue Samples Consistent With The Suspect At The Scene.

Photo: Emergency personnel work near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020.

Photo Inset: Surveillance video image provided by the Metro Nashville Police Department shows an RV that was involved in a blast Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.

Photo Credit: Mark Humphrey / AP and Metro Nashville Police Department via AP

The Center Square [By Jason Schaumburg / Vivian Jones]-

Law enforcement officials said Sunday that Anthony Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tenn., was likely responsible for the bomb that exploded Christmas morning in downtown Nashville.

Special Agent in Charge Doug Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office said DNA examinations of tissue samples recovered from the blast site were consistent with those of Warner.

“Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner, 63, of Bakertown Rd, is the man believed responsible for Friday’s explosion,” the Metro Nashville Police Department tweeted. “He perished in the blast. No one else is presently believed to have been involved. Thank you to our federal & state partners.”

Law enforcement officials said Sunday the Tennessee Highway Patrol locating and recovering the VIN number from the suspect’s RV was a key break in the investigation. That information, along with tips from the public, led to Warner’s home in Antioch.

The motive for the bombing still is unclear, law enforcement officials said.

A warning blared from a parked RV in downtown Nashville for 15 minutes before it exploded around 6:30 a.m. Friday, injuring three people and downing 911 communications for miles in what authorities call an “intentional act.”

Nashville Police officers responded to a call of shots fired at 166 Second Avenue North at 5:30 a.m. Christmas morning. They found a parked RV blasting an audio warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes.

“Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode,” a recording of a woman’s voice coming from the RV blared to a mostly empty street.

Officers began evacuating nearby buildings immediately, making announcements and knocking on doors, Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake said at a news conference Friday.

Nashville PD’s Hazardous Devices Unit was en route when the RV exploded at 6:30 a.m.

The blast tore through Second Avenue North, blowing out windows, scorching the street and nearby trees and causing extensive damage to surrounding buildings.

The explosion could be felt near the Nashville International Airport more than 15 miles away.

The FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are leading an investigation into the explosion alongside the Nashville Police Department. Authorities conducted a sweep of the downtown area to ensure there was no additional threat at noon Friday.

“We don’t feel there’s any concern in the downtown area of anything else right now,” Drake said. “But we are doing it as a precaution, just to search with our bomb dogs.”

Three people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, according to ATF Special Agent In Charge Mickey French, but no deaths or additional casualties were known at the time of publication.

The RV was parked near an AT&T transmission building and blocks away from the 33-floor AT&T tower.

AT&T service in Nashville was down Friday, causing interruptions in 911 communications in Davidson County, as well as Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, Putnam, Dickson, Montgomery, Bartlett and Coffee counties.

“Service for some customers in Nashville and the surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning,” said AT&T representative Jim Greer. “We are in contact with law enforcement and working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service.”

The FAA temporarily halted flights out of Nashville international Airport because of telecommunications issues associated with the blast.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said the president had been briefed on the explosion and would continue to receive regular updates. Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was briefed on the situation Friday morning..

“Please join [First Lady Maria Lee] and me in praying for those who were injured and we thank all of our first responders who acted so quickly this morning,” Governor Lee said in a tweet Friday.

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