Shutterstock
According to officials, shots are being fired as police respond to a barricaded subject on the second floor of Tony Sudekum Apartments, a public housing complex in Nashville, Tennesee, with at least one Metro Police officer shot and currently being hospitalized.
The initial shooting was first reported 7 AM. The buildings have been evacuated with area schools on a lockout, including Johnson Alternative Learning Center, Cameron College Prep and Napier Elementary. Despite the lockout, classes are said to be continuing as normal.
One family is said to be sheltering in place as police said their building was unsafe to evacuate. The Nashville Public Library will host those evacuated.
According to WSMV, one mother has said that her children were “holed up for hours inside their apartment before police were able to get them out safely;” she added that they have become “desensitized to the sound of gunfire around their building because it happens so often.”
What happened?
At this time, it is believed that at least 20 patrol cars initially responded to the apartment complex shooting.
According to The Tennessean, police spokesman Don Aaron said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the shooter was firing shots into the ground outside an apartment near a woman and a child, before he went into an apartment and locked himself inside.
One shoulder was struck by a bullet in his shoulder, but it is believed to be non-penetrative. Aaron later confirmed:
“The bullet did not enter his body.”
The officer is currently being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At this time, people are being asked to avoid the area.
UPDATE: According to Fox 17, the gunman has been identified as Justin Jones. The officer shot was also identified as Gerry Hutcheson.
As this story is developing, more information will be updated as made available.
