Police studying writings of Nashville shooter who killed female student, then himself

The investigation into why a Nashville high school student fatally shot a classmate before killing himself has centered on his online writings, which authorities describe as concerning warning signs. 

Dozens of pages posted on social media accounts that anti-hate analysts believe belonged to the gunman include racist ideologies and plans for the shooting.

Solomon Henderson, a Black 17-year-old student at Antioch High School, shot and killed Josselin Corea Escalante, who was 16 and Hispanic, in the school’s cafeteria on Wednesday, then turned the gun on himself.

The shooting has left Tennessee’s capital city once again grappling with the fallout of a tragic school shooting. Nearly two years prior, a shooter opened fire at a private elementary school in Nashville and killed six people, including three children.

The writings reportedly include plans for the school shooting, but do not name Escalante as a target. Investigators have not yet established a connection between Henderson and the victims, and police said the gunfire may have been random, according to a statement.

Police revealed Thursday that an additional 288-page document is also under investigation.

While local law enforcement have been tight-lipped about the specifics of Henderson’s writings, they confirmed Thursday that he fired 10 shots from a 9 mm pistol within 17 seconds of entering the cafeteria. The pistol was loaded with nine rounds when recovered by police, authorities said.

The gun was bought by someone in Arizona in 2022 and it was not reported stolen, police said. The gun’s origins are still under investigation.

A student who was grazed by a bullet Wednesday was treated and released from the hospital. Another student was taken to a hospital for treatment of a facial injury that happened during a fall.

Nashville schools officials have faced questions about why new technology that uses a school’s cameras and AI capabilities to detect weapons didn’t trigger a warning on Wednesday. The lack of metal detectors has also been brought into focus, and while Superintendent Adrienne Battle has said there are pros and cons to metal detectors, she said nothing is off the table.

Antioch, a growing and diverse area about 10 miles southeast of downtown Nashville, has endured other prominent shootings in recent years. A 2017 fatal shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ killed one woman and wounded seven people. And in 2018, a shooter killed four people at a Waffle House.



(AP Photo George Walker IV)