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An early morning explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, damaged 20 buildings and sent three people to the hospital. Local police say the explosion, sparked by a vehicle blast, was intentional, reports USA Today on Dec. 25, 2020.
In its investigation, joining the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are the FBI and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). K-9 units have been dispatched throughout the blast zone.
Tissue remains were discovered near the blast center. At this time, it is unknown if the remains are human or not.
Timeline of Nashville Explosion
Metro police responded to reports of shots fired just before 6 a.m. EST. Officers spotted and called in an RV parked outside of the AT&T building, although they did not specify why they thought it suspicious.
Something about the RV caused the officers to call the bomb squad, which was en route when the explosion occurred. Witnesses report hearing a recorded woman’s voice coming from the RV telling everyone to evacuate the area. The voice warned there was a bomb inside the vehicle and it would explode — then the recording began a 15-minute countdown.
Nashville Metro Officers Recognized for Evacuation Efforts
Police were evacuating the area. Cameras show officers talking to a man walking his dog — he was later identified as David Malloy. He told reporters at Nashville’s WKRN:
The officer was in the middle of the road on 2nd Avenue, walking towards me telling me to evacuate, when I said, ‘why do I need to evacuate’ and then boom, the bomb went off.
Six Metro officers were recognized for evacuating and saving lives before the explosion: Sergeant Timothy Miller, an 11-year veteran, and officers Brenna Hosey, James Luellen, Michael Sipos, Amanda Topping, and James Wells; their time with the department range between 21 months and four years.
Nashville Resident Recalls the Explosion
Malloy recalled the bright flash of the explosion, “it happened, boom, and windows were blown out everywhere and the building right next to ours all their windows blew out, top and bottom, everything.”
He says he is not injured but quite shaken — his dog seems to be unfazed.
When asked if he felt lucky, Malloy replied: “So lucky, are you kidding me? Debris and glass all everywhere, and it’s my Christmas miracle I’ll tell you that.”
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
USA Today: ‘Evacuate now. There is a bomb’: Witness recalls chilling warning before explosion in Nashville that damages 20 buildings, injures 3; by Yihyun Jeong, Brinley Hineman, and Joshua Bote
WKRN: 6 officers recognized for evacuating residents before downtown Nashville explosion
WKRN: ‘My Christmas Miracle’: Man walking dog survives downtown Nashville explosion; by Josh Breslow
Featured Image Courtesy of Josh Beasley’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Top Image Courtesy of Peter Miller’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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