On Christmas morning, Nashville residents woke up to a siren telling them to “evacuate now” and the sound and news of an explosion rather than the excitement to open presents and spend time with family.

   Police arrived at the scene after reports of gunfire. To their surprise, they were greeted with an RV parked in front of the AT&T transmission building with a bomb inside. The bomb exploded at 6:30 a.m., police did not get the chance to deactivate it, shattering windows, shaking buildings, and injuring three people. 

 USA Today has inferred that the RV was strategically placed in one of the populated areas of Nashville, Second Avenue North, a place that attracts tourists. However, since Christmas is a national holiday, many employees did not go to work at Second Avenue North, making it unusually unpopulated. Luckily, Only one person was killed. It was later discovered that the one death was the individual inside of the RV.

   Left with many questions and shattered windows, the FBI launched their investigation to determine who was responsible for the bombing and their motivation for invoking fear on a typically hope-inspiring day. The FBI determined that someone was in the RV because remnants of human flesh were found in the debris. Utilizing a tipline and the release of the security footage of the RV, authorities were able to determine Anthony Warner to be the bomber. 

   Individuals called the tip line stating they recognized the RV with the blue strip on it to be Warner’s and DNA evidence using the human flesh remnants from the scene were able to confirm this. The VIN number of the RV was recovered from the debris and traced to Warner, providing additional evidence to confirm him to be responsible for the bomb.

   The remaining question for officials was Warner’s motivation for carrying out this terrifying attack on a day that represents joy for many Americans. Although the answer for this is still inconclusive, it has been reported that Warner was a conspiracy theorist, believing in theories such as Lizard People controlling the world and 5G technology. 

   The FBI believes his paranoia surrounding 5G technology would explain his choice of parking the RV in front of the AT&T transmission building. The bombing caused wireless interference from Georgia to Kentucky, prohibiting 911 calls and phone service in the Nashville airport. Warner’s complete motive may never be understood because he acted alone and didn’t leave behind evidence of motivation in his home.

   Many Broughton student’s Christmas mornings were inhibited by the shocking news. “I was very scared and confused. It was sad that something so terrible happened on what is usually such a special day,” Broughton student Leah Stein commented.

   “I thought it was shocking and devastating to happen in such a lively joyful place like Nashville,” Broughton student Molly Asbill said.