The Nashville Metro Police Department says authorities believe an explosion that shook downtown Nashville on Christmas Day was a deliberate act
NASHVILLE – 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.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said the 6:30 am explosion was considered “an intentional act”. Police said they believed a vehicle was involved in the explosion. Aaron said three people were taken to hospitals in the region for treatment, although none were in critical condition.
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. Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on site.
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 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.
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. “
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Thalia Beaty in New York contributed.