The downtown Nashville explosion on Christmas morning may have been “intentional,” according to police

NASHVILLE – An explosion shook largely deserted streets in downtown Nashville in the early hours of Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and injuring three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. The FBI is leading the investigation.

Nashville Metro Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said police responded to a shooting call shortly before 6 a.m. but found no immediate signs of gunfire, although officers went noticed a suspicious vehicle and called for a dangerous unit. While they waited, the vehicle exploded.

Aaron said three people were taken to hospitals in the area for treatment, although none were in critical condition. He said some people were taken to the central precinct of the department for questioning, but declined to give further details.

The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, spokesman Joel Siskovic said. Federal investigators from the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at 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 for cars and buildings in the nearby area.

A Philadelphia man staying at a nearby hotel said that when the blast broke out, it was known not to be a harmless noise.

“It was a very strong explosion,” Joseph Fafara said. “We tried to rationalize that it was an earthquake or something. But it was obvious it wasn’t an earthquake.” He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family at Christmas because the state has lower COVID-19 restrictions than Philadelphia.

Fafara took to the streets to look at the damage, but police barricades had already been set up.

Early Friday morning saw black smoke and flames coming out of the area, full of bars, restaurants and other retail establishments, and which is known as the heart of the downtown Nashville tourist scene.

Buildings faltered in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom.

MIRAR | The video shows the consequences of the explosion:

Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook showing water spilling from the roof of his house. Alarms sound in the background and the cries of people with great anguish sound in the background. A fire is visible on the street outside.

McCoy says he heard gunshots 15 minutes before the explosion shook his building. McCoy said the windows in his house were completely blown up.

“All my windows, each of them, were blown into the next room. If I had been there, it would have been horrible,” he said.

“It looked like a bomb to me. 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 just burned and the trees were all shattered,” he said.

President Donald Trump has been informed, according to White House spokeswoman Judd Deere, that Trump, who is spending the holidays in Florida, will continue to receive periodic updates. The U.S. Department of Justice said acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also informed and directed all departmental resources to assist them in the investigation.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Join @MariaLeeTN and me in praying for the wounded and we thank everyone our first responders who acted so quickly this morning. “

Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was lucky the number of injured was limited.

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington contributed. Beaty reported from New York.