Image Credit: Metropolitan Nashville Police Department / Facebook & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A student who was injured in the deadly shooting at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025 is now suing the company responsible for the artificial intelligence (AI) weapons detection system utilized by the school, claiming the technology failed to detect the shooter’s weapon despite its marketing as a tool to stop violence before it occurs.
The suit was filed May 1 in Davidson County Circuit Court by Antonyous Henin, who was shot but survived the attack. Henin’s lawsuit is against Omnilert, the Virginia-based company that created the AI gun detection system installed at the school, and System Integrations, Inc., the Tennessee company responsible for the system’s installation and maintenance.
According to the suit, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) paid over $1 million for the gun detection system under a contract that began in 2023. The complaint says the system was sold to schools as a “lifesaving” tool capable of detecting firearms “before a shot is fired” but failed to recognize the Antioch High School shooter’s handgun.
The day after the shooting, MNPS officials confirmed the system did not get an “accurate read” on the shooter’s weapon as he was not close enough to the cameras to trigger an alert, though it did activate a “false positive” alarm when law enforcement and school resource officers arrived with their weapons.
Also included in the complaint are public comments from Omnilert CEO Dave Fraser, who acknowledged the system “does not work perfectly all the time” after the shooting.
Henin’s attorneys argue that Omnilert was negligent, misrepresented its product, and engaged in “unfair and deceptive trade practices and other wrongful acts that proximately caused Plaintiff’s injuries,” as it failed to adequately disclose limitations involving camera placement, visibility, and distance from the weapon to the camera system. The suit claims those limitations made the technology unreliable in large spaces like a school cafeteria.
It also alleges Omnilert later changed language on its website following the Antioch shooting, with the revisions tacitly acknowledging the company’s earlier marketing claims were misleading. Reportedly, phrases including “unparalleled reliability” and “saves lives” were removed while disclosures about false alerts were added.
Other incidents involving the failure of the same detection technology at Maryland schools, including false alarms where harmless objects were allegedly mistaken for firearms, are cited in the suit.
Henin is seeking compensatory damages, attorney’s fees, and treble damages under Tennessee consumer protection law.
MNPS settled with the family of the female student killed by the shooter in November of last year after her parents sued the district, alleging the school system had failed in their duty to keep students safe as the shooter had been previously identified as dangerous and had and existing school disciplinary history.
And the mother of shooter surrendered herself to Metro Nashville Police in January of this year after a warrant was issued for her arrest. She had relocated to Las Vegas after the shooting but was charged with unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon, stemming from a prior conviction in 2010 for possession of a stolen vehicle, when lab results from the Antioch shooting showed her DNA on the pistol used by the shooter.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
