Nashville school shooter Solomon Henderson was an intelligent but quiet student at Antioch High School, where he was a member of the school's ROTC program, before he opened fire Wednesday.
The 17-year-old was described as a 'smart person' by an unidentified WKRN classmate [at the] the best in the class' who was 'quiet and private.'
He also attended the military training program and may have had at least one “prior incident” in high school, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at a news conference — though he said he was unsure of the details.
The day on Wednesday started like any other: Henderson arrived at the school in suburban Nashville on a bus.
It is believed he then entered a bathroom, where he retrieved a weapon.
The teen was seen wearing a hoodie just after 11am when he “confronted” 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and fired several rounds from a handgun before turning the gun on himself.
Another student was also injured with an abrasion to her arm and was rushed to Vanderbilt University Hospital in stable condition.
Police also said a fourth boy was treated for a facial injury caused by the commotion, but was not shot, Channel 5 reported.
Nashville teenager Solomon Henderson opened fire at Antioch High School on Wednesday. Students and family members are pictured fleeing the school in the aftermath
People wait as school buses arrive at a unification site following a shooting at Antioch High School
Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said the department received the first call just two minutes after Henderson opened fire.
Two school officers were also in the building, but were not in the immediate vicinity of the cafeteria, and by the time they arrived on the scene, Henderson had already committed suicide.
It remains unclear whether the students were targeted, and a motive for the shooting remains unclear.
But Chief Drake noted there was material online that police are investigating.
“There are a number of materials on the Internet that we are looking at, that are currently being investigated,” he said, according to The Tennessean.
“We think there is some material, and maybe they were seen,” he continued, adding that if someone “said something, maybe more could have been done.”
Terrifying footage showed the shooting unfolding in the cafeteria, as gunshots and screams echoed through the lunchroom.
You see an unknown cameraman get closer to the scene of the shooting and say, “Oh, he shot himself.”
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Henderson may have had at least one “previous incident” at the school, but the details were unclear
Henderson was then seen wearing a hoodie when he began spraying bullets into the school cafeteria shortly after 11 a.m., killing Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, before turning the gun on himself.
The edge of what appears to be a person lying on the tile floor is briefly visible before the clip ends.
A student in the cafeteria at the time of the incident also described the terrifying scene.
“People in the cafeteria are using chip bags to make it sound like a gun, but it went off repeatedly and I turned around and I saw the gunman shooting people I knew,” 12th grader Ahmadsallah told WZTV.
“The shooter was somewhat covered, he had a hood on. It was just a rush, it made me want to do something crazy. I tried to run outside to help people, but my mind was so cluttered that I didn't know what to do.
'There was a lot of screaming, a lot of fear. People were afraid of dying, there was running as if someone was chasing them, as if he was a monster that only killed people.
“I feel relieved and safe, but I feel sorry for the victims who lost their lives,” he added.
Chante Frye, whose daughter is in ninth grade at the school, said she received a text message from the youngster saying she was locked in her classroom.
“But it's almost not surprising because it's getting worse and worse with the fighting and violence at school,” Frye told The Tennessean.
Detectives are still investigating a possible motive for the shooting
Nashville Schools Superintendent Adrienne Battle said the district had already implemented a “range of safety measures,” including partnerships with police for school staff, security cameras with weapon detection software, unbreakable film for glass and security vestibules that provide a barrier between visitors and the main entrance.
“Unfortunately, these measures were not enough to stop this tragedy,” she lamented.
Battle also noted that there were questions about installing metal detectors.
“While past research has shown that these have had limitations and unintended consequences, we will continue to explore emerging technologies and strategies to increase school safety.”
In the meantime, police said they will conduct tests on the weapon used in the shooting and search Henderson's home.
Antioch High School will also remain closed for the rest of the week.
