A deadly shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville on Wednesday morning left two people dead and two others injured, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. The incident, which occurred in the school cafeteria, involved a 17-year-old male shooter who killed one female student and injured two others before taking his own life.
The shooting unfolded at approximately 11:09 a.m., when the armed teenager entered the cafeteria and opened fire. Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron confirmed during a press conference that one female student succumbed to her injuries after being transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Another female student sustained a graze wound to her arm and is in stable condition, while a male student suffered a facial injury not caused by a gunshot.
"Antioch High School is on a lockdown due to shots being fired inside the school building. Metro Police are on the scene. The person responsible for shooting is no longer a threat," Metro Nashville Public Schools stated shortly after the incident.
BREAKING: A shooting incident is under investigation at Antioch High School. Three people have been wounded, including the suspect, who shot himself. Reunification site for parents is 3754 M'boro Pk. Buses will be taking students there. pic.twitter.com/G5UypO7neP — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) January 22, 2025
The shooter's motives remain under investigation, and authorities have not disclosed further details about his background or relationship with the victims. SWAT units thoroughly cleared the school to ensure there were no additional threats, and officials have since deemed the situation contained.
Antioch High School, located approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Nashville, has an enrollment of about 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12. Following the shooting, buses transported students to a reunification site at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital on Murfreesboro Pike. Parents were urged to call a designated hotline for updates on their children.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the scene, highlighting the scale of the law enforcement effort. Traffic in the area was redirected, with Hobson Pike closed indefinitely at the Wilson and Davidson County line.
This tragedy comes less than a year after another high-profile school shooting in Nashville. In March 2023, a former student opened fire at The Covenant School, killing three children and three adults before being fatally shot by police. That incident reignited debates over gun control and school safety measures in Tennessee and across the nation.
