A female student was killed Wednesday and one of her classmates wounded after police said a 17-year-old student opened fire inside a Nashville high school and then took his own life.
Nashville Metropolitan Police Chief John Drake said the assailant went into Antioch High School’s cafeteria, confronted 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and fatally shot her Wednesday morning.
The chief said gunman Solomon Anderson then fired off a few more rounds before turning the gun on himself.
A 17-year-old male student suffered a grazing wound during the bullet spray. He was being treated at a nearby hospital.
Police officers stationed in the school were on the other side of campus when the gunfire broke out. They arrived after the shooter ended his life.
The motive behind the shooting is under investigation.
“My heart goes out to these families as they face unimaginable loss,” Adrienne Battle, the head of Metro Nashville Public Schools, said at an afternoon press conference.
Federal authorities said agents are on the scene assisting with the investigation.
Nashville last suffered a school shooting when a transgender former student, Audrey Hale, shot and killed three 9-year-old students and three teachers at a private Christian school in 2023.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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