Online writings linked to the gunman at Nashville, Tennessee’s Antioch High School include racist and antisemitic content, photos of a handgun and praise for mass murderers, a report says.
Investigators at the local, state and federal levels are combing through the writings as they try to figure out why a 17-year-old opened fire inside his Nashville-area high school Wednesday, killing Joseelin Corea Escalante, 16, and wounding a 17-year-old boy before taking his own life from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Homicide Unit detectives along with their law enforcement partners in the MNPD and federal/state agencies are examining very concerning online writings and social media posts connected to [the teen] as they work to establish the motive behind [the teen]’s gunfire this morning in Antioch High School’s cafeteria,” the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said.
“The investigation to this point has not established a connection between [the teen] and the two shooting victims. It may be that they were struck by his random gunfire in the cafeteria,” police added.
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The writings, posted on a social media account purportedly operated by the gunman identified by police, contain the layout of Antioch High School, photos of a handgun and an image of a flyer from a neo-Nazi White supremacy group that visited Nashville this past summer, according to WTVF.
The station described the material as antisemitic, with the gunman allegedly expressing that he had been thinking about violence for a few months.
The material also contained an image of the shooter who killed three children and three staff members at the Covenant School in Nashville in 2023 and praise for other mass shooters, WTVF reported.
Nashville police said during a news conference that the alleged shooter, who was armed with a pistol, fired multiple shots inside Antioch High School on Wednesday.
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The online streaming platform Kick said the attack was “partially livestreamed” and it has “rapidly banned the account and removed the video.”
“Violence has no place on KICK. We are actively working with law enforcement and taking all appropriate steps to support their investigation,” it said in a statement.
The MNPD said two school resource officers assigned to Antioch High School were in another part of a building when the shots rang out.
“They rushed to the cafeteria and arrived just after [the teen] killed himself,” police added.
“On behalf of this entire police department, I extend our deep condolences to Antioch High students, parents, and staff,” Chief John Drake said in a statement. “Our officers and counselors will work to be part of the healing process in the days and weeks ahead.”
Fox News’ Christina Shaw and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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