Nashville police fatally shot a suspect who attacked several people inside a local movie theatre on Wednesday afternoon.
Police dispatchers responded to reports of an active shooter at 1:15pm at the Hickory 8 movie theatre in Antioch, located in southeastern Davidson County, Tennessee.
The suspect, identified as a 51-year-old white man, walked into the theatre wearing a surgical mask and carrying two backpacks, a hatchet and a firearm.
Metro Nashville Police Department have confirmed that the shooter was shot dead by police.
Active shooter situation @ Hickory 8 Theater -- suspect dead
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) August 5, 2015
An officer entered the theatre where the film Mad Max: Fury Road was showing, and exchanged fire with the attacker. The officer then took cover and a swat team engaged the shooter, who exchanged gunfire with the officers. The suspect was killed during the shootout.
Don Aaron, Nashville Police spokesman said the suspect's backpacks were being investigated by a bomb squad which were later detonated. One of the packages was identified as a hoax device.
The suspect reportedly entered the movie theatre dousing pepper spray onto the crowd and attacking one man with a hatchet.
Emergency personnel gather outside Carmike Hickory 8 movie theater following a shooting 5 August 2015.
Officials later said that a 53-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl were being treated for pepper spray related injuries. A 51-year-old man was also treated for a hatchet wound.
Steven was one of 8 people in theater with suspect. He was the 58-year-old man injured on the arm and pepper spray. pic.twitter.com/WApQFOIRpO
— Natalie Neysa Alund (@nataliealund) August 5, 2015
Steven, the 58-year-old, told reporters that he was "eternally grateful" for the police response to the attack and he had no idea why the man attacked people inside the theatre.
“I would ask anyone to pray for [the suspect’s] family because he obviously has some mental problems or something else," he said.
Police have not yet identified the shooter or have identified a motive.
