Christmas Morning Explosion Rocks Downtown Nashville [Updated]

Update, Dec. 27: In a press conference on Sunday, FBI and TBI confirmed Anthony Quinn Warner of Antioch was the bomber, who died at the scene, based on DNA evidence. Authorities do not suspect any further threats and see no indication of further suspects, but there will be another curfew tonight.

Other details, including Warner’s motives and the types of explosives used, were not disclosed. FBI did not comment on whether or not the act was domestic terrorism.

Update, Dec. 26: In a press conference Saturday, authorities noted that investigations turned up “no indication of additional explosive threats.” Also on Saturday, CBS News reported that authorities identified Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, as a person of interest in the investigation.

An explosion in downtown Nashville and felt miles away broke the silence of Christmas morning. Metro Police said it appears to be "an intentional act."

The explosion, which investigators have tentatively linked to an RV parked near the iconic AT&T Building near Second and Commerce, shook the city around 6:30 a.m., with the sound heard and shockwaves felt as far away as Antioch.

MNPD and the Nashville Fire Department secured much of the downtown entertainment district in the aftermath of the explosion, pushing the perimeter of the danger zone farther and farther with scanner traffic indicating investigators were worried about other "suspicious vehicles."

Police initially received reports of shots fired around 5:30 a.m. and responding officers discovered an RV broadcasting a message warning that an explosion was imminent. After calling in the bomb squad, those officers began evacuating nearby residences. The explosion occurred while the bomb squad was en route.

The RV was parked near a large AT&T data center, which was able to continue operating on back-up generators until the fire department cut off the gas lines early Friday afternoon, leading to a widespread outage of both cell and internet service. The telecom says service should be restored by early Friday evening.

The FBI and ATF are also on the scene assisting MNPD and Nashville Fire units.

In a media update, Mayor John Cooper said about 20 buildings were damaged and that "it looks like a bomb went off," but that it was too soon to draw any conclusions.

Downtown will remain sealed off during the investigation and officials plan further updates throughout the day.

Three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Hours after the blast, authorities found what were believed to be remains near the explosion site.

"I looked at my clock and it was 6:29 in the morning," downtown resident Tom Cirillo — who lives near Harrison and Third — tells the Scene. "Just a huge explosion and buildings shaking, similar to the tornado from March. But a lot louder but less prolonged."

In a city still roiling from the COVID-19 pandemic, which began mere days after a tornado tore through North and East Nashville, the Christmas Day explosion adds just another event to the annus horribilis that has been 2020.

"One more event in Nashville's 2020," Cooper dryly noted.

This post will be updated.

Matt Masters contributed reporting to this post.