This school shopping in Nashville resulted in one death, which has been heartwrenching to learn about.
Keep reading to learn more about what events transpired and led to such a thing.
The Metro Nashville Police Department has revealed the identity of the 16-year-old student who was killed on January 22, 2025, at Antioch High School.
The victim was wounded at the cafeteria of her school and has been identified as Josselin Corea Escalante. Two other students were shot alongside her. One of the two students suffered from a graze for which he was immediately treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The late student’s father, German Corea was understandably devastated by the loss. He said, “Every day I told her how much I loved her.” Josselin was a soccer played and was a good student. Her father, Corea shared how he never imagined one day his daughter would never make it back home from school, “It’s not fair,” he lamented.
Escalante’s aunt is shocked by the loss. She shared how her niece went to school for education and a better life but instead her life was cut tragically short. “Oh God. She was my girl. She was a very calm girl and well-behaved. She had good grades in school. She was a girl who loved her parents and all her family,” she said.
Josselin Corea Escalante is now requesting that the school enhance their security measures. They do not believe that much will change, as most school shootings follow a similar story. Antioch High School held a vigil in honor of Escalante on the night of her killing.
The shooter was a 17-year-old student of the school. He shot himself in the head and died as a result of the injuries. He was identified as Solomon Henderson. The two school resource officers who were doing their duty at Antioch High School were at a different part of the building when Henderson began shooting.
When they heard the gunshots, they immediately rushed to the cafeteria and arrived only moments after Henderson had taken his own life. Authorities are now looking into Henderson’s online and social media activity.
They are also working with local, federal, and state agencies to determine the motive behind the shooting. So far the police is unable to come up with a connection between the shooter and his victims. “It may be that they were struck by his random gunfire in the cafeteria,” said the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Chief John Drake of the Metro Nashville Police Department has also issued a statement which said, “On behalf of this entire police department, I extend our deep condolences to Antioch High students, parents, and staff. Our officers and counselors will work to be part of the healing process in the days and weeks ahead.”
Dr. Adrienne Battle, Metro Nashville Public Schools’ director, also gave her condolences to students, parents, and the entire Antioch High School community. She announced that school would remain closed for the rest of the week so students and staff would have some time to grieve.
She said in a statement, “I want to thank the school staff who quickly and heroically followed emergency protocols, potentially preventing further harm, as well as the Metro Nashville Police Department and Nashville Fire Department for their swift and urgent response.”
She promised to work to understand the reason behind the tragedy and what to do to avoid something like this in the future.
She shared, “It’s important to remember that our schools have historically been safe places for learning, friendship, and growth. We cannot allow this tragedy to overshadow the positive experiences of our 80,000 students.”
She also vowed to get students and staff all the help they needed to process this tragedy. She urged students, staff, counselors, and the entire Nashville community to come together so they could navigate the days ahead more easily.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), alternatively text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go simply visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
