NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — News 2 continues to investigate the background on the shooter at Antioch High School and what’s being done about security across Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS).
Solomon Henderson, 17, killed 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante Wednesday and injured another student before fatally shooting himself in the head after just 34 seconds, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
The MNPD confirmed that in 2023, two guns were removed from the shooter’s home. Police did not say why those guns were taken, only that “the investigation that resulted in the guns being located is protected by Juvenile confidentiality.”
Henderson was able to bring a nine-millimeter pistol into the school without alerting AI weapon detection software before firing a total of 10 shots within 17 seconds. On Thursday, police confirmed that the gun used in the shooting was purchased by someone in Arizona in 2022, but it was not reported stolen. The question of how the shooter got a hold of the weapon remains.
“We were in ROTC together this year, too,” one Antioch High School told News 2 Wednesday. “He was always top of the class — always doing his work.”
News 2 confirmed that the shooter went to school in Montgomery County before moving to Antioch. A spokesperson for the district confirmed Henderson spent time at Barksdale Elementary and Richview Middle School. He transferred from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in the 2020-2021 school year.
Additionally, News 2 reported on allegations that Henderson “pulled out a knife” against another Antioch High School student about a month prior to the deadly shooting. In the days following the shooting, separate and unrelated threats have been made for other shootings across Nashville schools.
“There were some students that also made some threats in the last day or so,” District 32 Metro Council Member Joy Styles said. “They have also been apprehended and charged for speaking out and saying they were going to harm anyone. But I also think it is a delicate balance, right? I think there are some kids wanting attention — their desire may not be to actually hurt someone. It’s their means of a cry out for help. So how do we differentiate between true violence and a need to have some attention?”
In 2023, the district approved a $1 million project to implement an AI add-on to the existing camera network to scan for weapons.
“Do we continue with those cameras?” Styles added. “Do we add some detectors that perhaps are not as jarring?”
MNPS leaders have reevaluated some safety protocols after gun detection did not see the shooter holding a gun. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said Friday that if MNPS decides to approve the use of stationary metal detectors across the district, they would get budgetary support.
“If they determine that metal detectors are an appropriate next step to take here, we will make sure we are in a position to support that from a budgetary standpoint, but I am also going to be driven here by what is the most effective measure for keeping students safe at schools,” O’Connell said.
However, as the conversation continues about school safety, O’Connell emphasized that he is working to ensure safety on a city level.
“Healing will take time and I hope that just as we grieve together as a city, we will heal together,” O’Connell said.
