When a call came to respond to a “shots fired” in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning, it wasn’t antifa or Black Lives Matter who responded, it was six Nashville cops, some reportedly new to the job, who found themselves “standing between good and evil” in a potential mass casualty situation.
The officers, Brenna Hosey, James Luellen, Michael Sipos, Amanda Topping and James Wells, and Sgt. Timothy Miller, sped to 2nd Avenue and discovered an RV spewing loudspeaker messages warning that it was going to blow up.
BREAKING: This is the RV that exploded on 2nd Ave N this morning. It arrived on 2nd Ave at 1:22 a.m. Have you seen this vehicle in our area or do you have information about it? Please contact us via Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or online via https://t.co/dVGS7o0m4v. @ATFHQ pic.twitter.com/JNx9sDinAH
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
Police Chief John Drake told reporters at a news update that the RV blasted music and messages that it would blow up, including a countdown to the explosion. But he said the police got people out, not knowing when the RV would blow, and saved “many” lives on Christmas morning. They’re still tallying up all the people successfully evacuated.
The RV blew up at 6:30 in the morning.
MNPD, FBI & ATF investigating the 6:30 a.m. explosion on 2nd Ave N linked to a vehicle. This appears to have been an intentional act. Law enforcement is closing downtown streets as investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/YOfMTaKmTH
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
Some human remains were found at the scene but there’s no identification yet. It could be the “coward” who did it.
The area is under curfew while the investigation into who orchestrated the Christmas morning attack continues.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper told reporters that three people were hospitalized and was relieved that more people weren’t hurt, but now he’s pissed.
We’ve gone from relief that there weren’t more casualties to now anger and determination and resolve to rebuild and not to be deterred and to bring whoever is responsible for this to justice.
We can rebuild and get back to normal. [The] attack on our community was intended to create chaos and fear in this season of peace and hope, but the spirit of our city cannot be broken.
He called the officers who rushed in “heroes” during “a year that we understand what first responders mean to our community.”
It was a sentiment echoed by the police chief and the head of the police officers’ union, James Smallwood. He told Fox and Friends that the nation witnessed pure heroism on Christmas morning.
What we witnessed … yesterday morning was nothing short of heroism and courageous actions by those six officers, who received a call about shots being fired in the area and they charged towards the danger like any other police officer in our nation would.
When they got there, obviously the danger continued to increase. And they took swift action, and they started working in the streets and in the neighborhood to clear residents from the area and clear pedestrians from the area. They put themselves in between good and evil. And they saved lives, without a doubt.
Cops are willing to put their lives on the lines for people they don’t know. That makes them heroes in these situations. But they’re not stupid and they don’t stay where they’re not wanted or supported. Police have fled in droves from the Seattle Police Department and Portland Police Bureau because the city would rather allow rioting, destruction, and terrorism than take a politically unpopular stand against people who claim to stand for “black lives” and “anti-fascists.” You don’t stand against fascism by acting as a totalitarian fascist any more than you stand for “black lives” by burning down black-owned businesses. And in light of all the destruction, you don’t cut funding for the very people who “stand between good and evil.” There might be a better solution out there, but cutting funding to support the very people keeping the peace is insane.
Nashville residents didn’t call antifa or Black Lives Matter when this RV was spotted spewing its messages of hate and terror. They called the cops.
Victoria Taft is the host of “The Adult in the Room Podcast With Victoria Taft” where you can hear her series on “Antifa Versus Mike Strickland.” Find it here.Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, MeWe, Minds @VictoriaTaft
Join the conversation as a VIP Member