An explosion shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and wounding three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. The FBI is leading the investigation.
Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said police responded to a call of shots fired just before 6 a.m. but found no immediate signs of a shooting, although officers noticed a suspicious vehicle and called for a hazardous unit. While they waited, the vehicle exploded.
Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none were in critical condition. He said some people were taken to the department’s central precinct for questioning but declined to give more details.
The FBI will be taking the lead in the investigation, said spokesman Joel Siskovic. Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosives violations and acts of terrorism.
Black smoke and flames were seen early Friday billowing from the area, which is packed with bars, restaurants and other retail establishments and is known as the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene.
Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard.
Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook that show water pouring down the ceiling of his home. Alarms blare in the background and cries of people in great distress ring in the background. A fire is visible in the street outside.
McCoy says he says he heard gun fire 15 minutes before the explosion rocked his building. McCoy said the windows of his home were entirely blown out.
“All my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there it would have been horrible,” he said.
“It felt like a bomb. It was that big,” he told The Associated Press.
“There were about four cars on fire. I don’t know if it was so hot they just caught on fire, and the trees were all blown apart,” he said.
President Donald Trump has been briefed, according to White House spokesperson Judd Deere, who said that Trump, who is spending the holidays in Florida, will continue to receive regular updates. The U.S. Justice Department said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also briefed and directed all department resources be made available to help with the investigation.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the resources necessary “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Please join @MariaLeeTN and me in praying for those who were injured and we thank all of our first responders who acted so quickly this morning.”
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was lucky that the number of injuries was limited.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm
Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.
To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.
Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30
Connect with us on…
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg
Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake
More info on Explosion in Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Morning Is Believed to Be ‘Intentional’
Explosion in Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Morning Is Believed to Be ‘Intentional’ - BingNews Search results
-
Days After Bombing, Nashville Courts See Disrupted Email and Phone Service
An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings and wounded multiple people. Authorities said they believed the ...
-
Christmas Morning Explosion In Nashville Called "Intentional"; Possible Human Remains Found Nearby
An early Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville is being called ... are on the scene to investigate what we believe was an intentional act. "We will supply all of the resources needed ...
-
FBI agents search home of ‘person of interest’ over Nashville blast
US investigators have identified a person of interest in connection with the explosion that rocked the centre of Nashville on Christmas ... 6.30am that they believe the blast was intentional.
-
FBI agents search home of ‘person of interest’ over Nashville blast
US investigators have identified a person of interest in connection with the explosion that rocked the centre of Nashville on Christmas ... 6.30am that they believe the blast was intentional.
-
FBI agents search home of ‘person of interest’ over Nashville blast
US investigators have identified a person of interest in connection with the explosion that rocked the centre of Nashville on Christmas ... 6.30am that they believe the blast was intentional.
-
Communications outages continue following Nashville blast
Police emergency systems in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, as well as Nashville ... believe the blast was intentional but have not yet established a motive or target. Mr Lee tweeted: “This ...
-
Communications outages continue following Nashville blast
Sweeping communications outages continue to plague large parts of Tennessee as US federal investigators combed the site for clues after a camper van exploded in Nashville on Christmas morning ... have ...
-
Nashville explosion knocks communications offline
The Christmas morning blast in the US city of Nashville caused ... city cannot be broken.” Police believe the blast in the state capital of Tennessee was intentional, but do not yet know a ...
-
Downtown Nashville explosion knocks communications offline
A recreational vehicle parked in the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early Christmas morning ... Police believe the blast was intentional but don’t yet know a motive or target ...
-
Police: Suspicious blast wounds 3 in Nashville on Christmas
Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 10:19 a.m. | Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 10:19 a.m. An explosion shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning ... believed the blast was ...