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A 17-year-old gunman opened fire in a Nashville-area high school cafeteria on Wednesday, killing one student and wounding two others.
With an investigation underway, here is what we know so far:
1. Authorities identify victim as Josselin Corea Escalante, aged 16
Escalante, a student at Antioch high school, was killed in the school cafeteria. Speaking to WTVF, Escalante’s father, German Corea, said: “Every day I told her how much I loved her.”
Corea added that his daughter had good grades in school and enjoyed playing soccer, saying: “It’s not fair.”
Meanwhile, Escalante’s aunt, Maria Corea, told WTVF: “She was my girl … She was a very calm girl and well-behaved. She had good grades in school. She was a girl who loved her parents and all her family.”
2. Two other students injured in shooting
According to local police, a 17-year-old student is currently being treated for a graze wound. Another student sustained a facial injury but was not shot, police said, WSMV reports.
One of the students was transported to Monroe Carell Jr Children’s hospital. The other student was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, WSMV reports, adding that both students are in stable condition.
3. Authorities identify gunman as student at Antioch high school
Authorities have identified the 17-year old gunman as Solomon Henderson. According to police cited in local media, Henderson died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Video posted on the Australian live-streaming platform Kick and reviewed by CNN showed the suspect filming himself inside the school shortly before the shooting. At one point, the suspect tries to open a door before walking away from it, CNN reports.
Additional social media posts reportedly attributed to the suspect have been cited in local media. One post dated on 19 January said: “The shooting will happen next Thursday. This is a complete failure and not the original plan I had … Fear of being faded before doing anything.”
Another post dated on 21 January said: “Tomorrow is the day. I was planning on Thursday but I need to speed things up. I don’t have a lot of time … My goal is to kill at least 10 people … ”
4. Live streaming platform says “violence has no place”
Following the shooting, the live-streaming platform Kick condemned the incident. In a statement on X, Kick said: “On January 22, an attack occurred in Nashville, Tennessee, and was partially livestreamed. We extend our thoughts to everyone impacted by this event.”
Kick announced that it “rapidly banned the account and removed the video”, adding: “Violence has no place on Kick. We are actively working with law enforcement and taking all appropriate steps to support their investigation.”
5. Investigation into gunman’s online activity underway
In a statement on Wednesday, Nashville police said that it is working alongside federal and state agencies in “examining very concerning on-line writings and social media posts” connected to Solomon.
Authorities also said they are currently working to “establish the motive behind Henderson’s gunfire”, adding, “The investigation to this point has not established a connection between Henderson and the two shooting victims. It may be that they were struck by his random gunfire in the cafeteria.”
