December 27, 2020 – In Breaking News – CNN
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee, as a key person in the investigation into the explosion of a recreational vehicle in Nashville early Christmas morning.
“That is a person of interest — still there could be several more,” Drake said.
Authorities believe Warner’s remains were found at the blast site, according to several law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.
The FBI is waiting for results of DNA testing to confirm the identity.
(Police are on the hunt for a suspect and tracking the movements of the RV seen hours before the blast. Courtesy of Good Morning America and YouTube. Posted on Dec 27, 2020.)
Investigators are gathering DNA from Warner’s family members and home, which they began searching Saturday, according to the sources.
Authorities have gathered other evidence that leads them to believe Warner was driving the RV and died in the blast, those officials told CNN, although they did not provide specifics about what that evidence is.
CNN has attempted to contact Warner’s family members but has not heard back.
(On Saturday, investigators converged on a neighborhood just outside Nashville, Tennessee, after a Christmas morning explosion rocked the city. Senior federal law enforcement officials tell NBC News they searched the home of 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner as they continue to investigate who set off the explosion and why. Courtesy of TODAY and YouTube. Posted on Dec 27, 2020.)
Authorities continue to investigate the Christmas morning blast that dealt another blow to a city its mayor says has already had its “hardest year” yet.
Three people were injured in the explosion early Friday and dozens of buildings were damaged.
But officials say more people could have been hurt if it wasn’t for the swift response of six police officers who evacuated residents after an eerie recorded message coming from the RV warned the vehicle would explode in minutes.
That’s exactly what happened next. The explosion tore through buildings, shattered windows and left the street littered with branches, glass and flaming debris.
BREAKING: This is the RV that exploded on 2nd Ave N this morning. It arrived on 2nd Ave at 1:22 a.m. Have you seen this vehicle in our area or do you have information about it? Please contact us via Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or online via https://t.co/dVGS7o0m4v. @ATFHQ pic.twitter.com/JNx9sDinAH
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened
Police said a boxy white RV arrived at 2nd Avenue North in downtown Nashville at 1:22 a.m. (2:22 a.m. ET) Friday.
They later tweeted an image of the vehicle.
Several hours later, a resident in the area said she woke up to what sounded like “an automatic weapon.”
When she heard the sound again, she called 911.
Police said they were called to the location after a report of shots fired around 5:30 a.m.
(Frank Figliuzzi, the former assistant director of counterintelligence at the FBI, says the explosion was “quite likely” a suicide bombing. Courtesy of Face the Nation and YouTube. Posted on Dec 27, 2020.)
Continue reading… Police identify ‘person of interest’ in Nashville explosion
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