NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NBC) – Law enforcement officials in Tennessee say they believe they know who is responsible for the explosion that ripped through parts of downtown Nashville but are still puzzling over his motivations.
It occurred early on Christmas Day and the vehicle used in the bombing played a warning to evacuate, adding additional layers to the mystery.
On Monday, authorities are interviewing those who knew 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, working to unravel the motives of the man previously unknown to law enforcement but now believed to be behind the Christmas Day bombing that rocked downtown Nashville.
Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation David Rausch said, “He was not on our radar. We were not familiar with this individual until this incident.”
Multiple senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News Warner recently told a woman he had cancer. It’s not clear if that was true but warner gave the woman his car.
Neighbors describe a quiet man who worked as an IT serviceman and kept an RV, pictured in a Google Street View image, in his backyard.
Officials say that same RV began blasting Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” early Christmas morning along with a warning about an imminent explosion as police responded to reports of gunfire in the area seconds later.
Nashville resident Betsy Williams said, “The fireball when it exploded it went all the way up over the AT&T. It was really a powerful blast.”
More than 40 businesses were damaged and three people injured. Warner is believed to be the sole fatality.
The community is praising the fast work of first responders as investigators search for insight into the man believed responsible.
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