US officials say Nashville explosion suspect died in Christmas Day blast
(UPDATE: 12/27/20 8:30 P.M.): The Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old James Turgeon, the driver of a box truck that was heard playing audio at a convenience store outside of Nashville, has been detained and charged with felony filing a false report and tampering with evidence for intentionally damaging the speaker system.
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(UPDATE: 12/27/20 6:50 P.M.): The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate a second suspicious vehicle heard playing music similar to the music played from an RV before it exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day. Highway patrol says a robot was sent to investigate the box truck, but didn’t find anything inside. Officials say the driver has been detained while the investigation is ongoing.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal authorities have now identified the man allegedly responsible for the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville, where three people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged. Investigators used DNA to link Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee, to the blast, and said that he died in the explosion.
The FBI matched the RV’s vehicle identification number (VIN) to a registration that belonged to Warner. Authorities have said they believe no one else was involved.
“Based on the evidence that we’ve gathered to this point, we’ve come to the conclusion that an individual named Anthony Warner is the bomber,” U.S. Attorney Don Cochran said during a press conference. “He was present when the bomb went off, and he perished in the bombing.”
According to public records, Warner had experience with electronics and alarms, and had worked as a computer consultant for a local realtor. Authorities did not immediately provide details about a potential motive behind his actions.
The blast occurred near an AT&T building, causing widespread communications outages in neighboring states and disrupted police emergency systems and grounded flights at Nashville International Airport.
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APTOPIX Nashville Explosion
Emergency personnel work near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard early Christmas morning.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Emergency personnel work near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard early Christmas morning.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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Explosion Nashville
This image taken from surveillance video provided by Metro Nashville PD shows a recreational vehicle that was involved in a blast on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. An explosion shook the largely deserted streets early Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and wounding some people. Police were responding to a report of shots fired when they encountered a recreational vehicle blaring a recording that said a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. (Metro Nashville PD via AP)
This image taken from surveillance video provided by Metro Nashville PD shows a recreational vehicle that was involved in a blast on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. An explosion shook the largely deserted streets early Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and wounding some people. Police were responding to a report of shots fired when they encountered a recreational vehicle blaring a recording that said a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. (Metro Nashville PD via AP)
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Explosion Nashville
FBI and ATF agents search a home Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings, and wounded three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
FBI and ATF agents search a home Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings, and wounded three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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Explosion Nashville
Investigators continue to examine the site of an explosion Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in downtown Nashville, Tenn. An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings and wounded multiple people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Investigators continue to examine the site of an explosion Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in downtown Nashville, Tenn. An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings and wounded multiple people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)