The man responsible for the recent bombing in downtown Nashville has been identified.
What We Know:
- 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner has been identified as the Nashville bomber after DNA evidence matched him to a set of remains that were found at the scene of the explosion. License plates found on the detonated RV first connected Warner to the scene. He was then identified as a person of interest until forensic analyst, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch confirmed Warner’s involvement.
- The bombing took place on Second Avenue North in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning. According to CNN, Metro Nashville Police Department Officer Tyler Luellen was the first to arrive on the scene after receiving a call of shots fired at around 5:30 am. After not hearing any shots, he began investigating. Officer Brenna Hosey arrived to back him up when they heard the warning coming from the RV.
“As soon as she got out of the car, almost immediately, the RV started making an announcement. Somewhere along the lines of, don’t quote me exactly, but, ‘There’s a large bomb within this vehicle. Your primary objective is to evacuate. I wasn’t quite sure what I heard, so I looked at Officer Hosey just to verify we heard the same thing. And then it started over,” Luellen said.
- Police surveillance was able to capture the violent RV explosion that damaged dozens of nearby buildings, burned cars, injured three people, and shut off AT&T wireless service around the city. Six police officers were able to minimize the number of injuries by evacuating residents after a recorded message coming from the RV gave notice that the vehicle would explode in minutes. Alongside Officer Luellen and Hosey, Officer Amanda Topping, Officer James Wells, Officer Michael Sipos, and Sgt. Timothy Miller went door to door to evacuate nearby buildings.
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According to public licensing records, Warner was issued an explosive user permits handler license in November of 2013 that expired after three years. He also had an alarm contractor license in November of 1993 that expired in 1998. Up until the bombing, Warner worked as an IT consultant. He retired earlier this month.
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FBI special agent, Douglas Korneski, stated that there is no indication of anybody else being involved and currently no motive behind the incident. As of now, the bombing has not been classified as an act of domestic terrorism.
Our hearts are with the city of Nashville and those affected by this tragedy during this difficult time.
