NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – An explosion rocked the deserted streets of downtown Nashville early on Christmas morning, smashing windows, damaging buildings and injuring three people. Authorities said they believed the explosion was intentional. The FBI is leading the investigation.
Nashville Metro Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said the police responded to a call for shots fired just before 6 am, but found no immediate signs of gunfire, although police officers noticed a suspicious vehicle and called a dangerous unit. While they waited, the vehicle exploded.
Aaron said three people were taken to hospitals in the region for treatment, although none were in critical condition. He said some people had been taken to the department’s central police station for questioning, but declined to elaborate.
The FBI will take 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 explosive violations and acts of terrorism.
At noon, police dogs continued to search nearby cars and buildings.
A Philadelphia man who was staying at a nearby hotel said that when he heard the explosion, he knew it was not a harmless noise.
“It was a very strong explosion,” said Joseph Fafara. “We tried to rationalize that it was an earthquake or something. But it was obvious that it was not an earthquake. ”He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family at Christmas because the state has more flexible COVID-19 restrictions than Philadelphia.
Fafará went out to see the damage, but police barricades had already been put in place.
Black smoke and flames were spotted on Friday exiting the area, which is full of bars, restaurants and other retail outlets and is known as the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene.
The buildings trembled in the immediate area and beyond after a loud crash was heard.
Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook that show water running down the roof of his home. Alarms go off in the background and screams from people in great danger go off in the background. A fire is visible in the street outside.
McCoy says he said he heard gunshots 15 minutes before the explosion shook his building. McCoy said his home windows were completely destroyed.
“All my windows, each one exploded in the next room. If I were there, it would have been awful, ”he said.
“It looked like a bomb. It was so big, ”he told the Associated Press.
“There were about four cars on fire. I don’t know if it was so hot that they caught fire and the trees were destroyed, ”he said.
President Donald Trump has been informed, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere, who said that Trump, who is on vacation in Florida, will continue to receive regular updates. The U.S. Department of Justice said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also briefed and directed all of the department’s resources to assist with the investigation.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Please join @MariaLeeTN and me in prayer for those who were injured and we thank all of our first respondents who acted so quickly this morning. “
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was lucky that the number of wounded was limited.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington contributed. Beaty reported from New York.