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Warner, a 63-year-old man described by a neighbor as a loner, was found dead after his RV exploded early on Christmas morning in the center of town. The blast injured at least eight people and damaged more than 40 buildings, including an AT&T broadcast building that provides wireless service to much of the region.
Before the blast, residents said they heard what sounded like gunshots. Police were called to the scene around 5:30 a.m. in response to the shooting reports.
The RV then broadcast a computerized female voice that repeatedly warned that a bomb would explode in minutes and ordered people to evacuate. VR also aired Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown,” a song about how downtown bustle can heal a lonely person.
“I just saw the biggest flames I’ve ever seen, the biggest explosion,” said Officer Amanda Topping. “I only saw orange and … I felt the heat, the wave.”
Repeated warnings and the timing of the explosion in the early morning hours, when few were around, suggest that Warner did not intend to cause massive casualties.
FBI Agent Doug Korneski said investigators are interviewing people who knew him to try to find out a possible motive. There is no indication that anyone else is involved, he said.
“These answers will not come quickly,” Korneski said. “While we may be able to answer some of those questions … none of those answers will be sufficient for those affected by this event.”
At least 8 patients were treated at Nashville hospitals after the blast.
Three patients were treated in the emergency room and released that same day, according to TriStar Centennial Medical Center spokeswoman Jill Newham. Vanderbilt University Medical Center received 5 patients related to the blast, spokeswoman Jessica Pasley said.
Warner’s neighbor: he was a ‘hermit’
Steve Schmoldt has lived next door to Warner since 2001, and Schmoldt’s wife has lived in the house since 1995.
“He’s lived there for a long time and he’s kept quiet,” Schmoldt told CNN of Warner. “We only knew him from Tony. He was kind of a hermit.”
The scope of most of their interactions was simply greeting each other over the fence, he explained. Warner was thin in build and had long gray hair, Schmoldt said.
On Friday night, Schmoldt said his wife noticed police trucks outside Warner’s home. When the couple sat down for coffee Saturday morning, his wife said she saw what she believed to be a SWAT team outside.
An RV seen on Google Street View at Warner’s home appears to match the one that law enforcement has asked the public for information.
“He’s had that for a long time,” Schmoldt said. “Sometimes he had it in his driveway. Sometimes he had it in his backyard.”
While the motorhome had been parked in the backyard for a couple of weeks, Schmoldt said it hadn’t been on the property for a few days.
Steve Fridrich of Fridrich & Clark, LLC, said that he hired Warner as a computer consultant for his real estate business as an independent contractor for several years. In a statement, he described Warner as a “good person who never showed any behavior that was less than professional.” He said Warner had said he would retire earlier this month.
Warner, from Antioch, Tennessee, had not previously been on police radar, said Tennessee Bureau Investigations Director David Rausch. Investigators identified him using DNA taken from remains found at the scene and matching them to a family member.
The wreckage of the bombing vehicle was recovered from the scene and Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators were able to determine the Vehicle Identification Number of the RV, authorities said Sunday. Korneski said the VIN number matched that of a vehicle registered to Warner.
A tip about the motorhome led law enforcement officers to the Bakertown Road home, a law enforcement officer told CNN. Federal investigators were at the home Saturday conducting “court-authorized activities,” FBI spokesman Jason Pack told CNN.
CNN has tried to contact members of the Warner family, but has received no response.
AT&T building significantly damaged
The motorhome was parked at 166 2nd Ave N, just outside the AT&T broadcast building, which suffered significant damage in the blast, authorities said.
AT&T was able to power the building with generators on Saturday, and most services have since been restored, the company said Monday in a statement on its website.
AT&T, the parent company of CNN, said its Mobility network is operating normally and all business customers are online again. He said that nearly all home video and internet clients had been restored by 8:30 a.m. Monday.
The statement also said there is “adequate power” available on most floors of his building in downtown Nashville. The company is managing power needs to prevent generators from overloading and is closely monitoring temperatures in the building so the equipment can stay running.
CNN’s Natasha Chen, Kay Jones, Margaret Given, Shimon Prokupecz, Carma Hassan, Mel Alonso, Paul P. Murphy, and Evan Perez contributed to this report.
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