Within the days earlier than he detonated a bomb within the downtown space of the US metropolis Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Day, Anthony Quinn Warner modified his life in ways in which recommend he by no means meant to outlive the blast that killed him and wounded three different folks.
Warner, 63, gave away his automotive, telling the recipient that he had most cancers. A month earlier than the bombing, he signed a doc that transferred his longtime dwelling in a Nashville suburb to a California lady for nothing in return. The pc marketing consultant advised an employer that he was retiring.
However he didn’t depart behind a transparent digital footprint or every other apparent clues to elucidate why he set off the explosion in his parked leisure automobile (RV) or performed a message warning folks to flee earlier than it broken dozens of buildings and knocked out cellphone service within the space.
Whereas investigators tried to piece collectively a doable motive for the assault, a neighbour recalled a current dialog with Warner that appeared ominous solely in hindsight.
Rick Laude advised The Related Press (AP) on Monday that he noticed Warner standing at his mailbox lower than per week earlier than Christmas and pulled over in his automotive to speak. After asking how Warner’s aged mom was doing, Laude stated he casually requested him, “Is Santa going to convey you something good for Christmas?”
Warner smiled and stated, “Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world isn’t going to overlook me,” Laude recalled.
Laude stated he didn’t suppose a lot of the comment and thought Warner solely meant that “one thing good” was going to occur for him financially. He was speechless when he realized that authorities had recognized Warner because the bomber.
“Nothing about this man raised any purple flags,” Laude stated.
As investigators continued to seek for a motive, physique digicam video launched late Monday by Nashville police provided extra perception into the moments main as much as the explosion and its aftermath.
The recording from Officer Michael Sipos’ digicam captures officers strolling previous the RV parked throughout the road because the recorded warning blares after which serving to folks evacuate after the thunderous blast off digicam. Automotive alarms and sirens wail as a police dispatch voice requires all accessible personnel and other people stumble by way of downtown streets suffering from glass.
David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, stated authorities hope to determine a motive however typically merely can not.
“One of the best ways to seek out motive is to speak to the person. We won’t be able to try this on this case,” Rausch stated Monday in an interview on US community NBC’s In the present day present.
Investigators are analyzing Warner’s belongings collected in the course of the investigation, together with a pc and a conveyable storage drive, and proceed to interview witnesses as they attempt to determine a possible motive, a legislation enforcement official stated. A evaluate of his monetary transactions additionally uncovered purchases of potential bomb-making parts, the official stated.
Warner had just lately given away a automobile and advised the particular person he gave it to that he had been recognized with most cancers, although it’s unclear whether or not he certainly had most cancers, the official stated. Investigators used some gadgets collected from the automobile, together with a hat and gloves, to match Warner’s DNA, and DNA was taken from one in all his members of the family, the official stated.
The official couldn’t focus on the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity.
Warner additionally apparently gave away his dwelling in Antioch, Tennessee, to a Los Angeles lady a month earlier than the bombing. A property report dated November 25 signifies Warner transferred the house to the lady in alternate for no cash. The lady’s signature just isn’t on that doc.
Warner had labored as a pc marketing consultant for Nashville actual property agent Steve Fridrich, who advised the AP in a textual content message that Warner had stated he was retiring earlier this month.
Officers stated Warner had not been on their radar earlier than Christmas. A legislation enforcement report launched Monday confirmed that Warner’s solely arrest was for a 1978 marijuana-related cost.
“It does seem that the intent was extra destruction than dying, however once more that’s all nonetheless hypothesis at this level as we proceed in our investigation with all our companions,” Rausch stated.
Officers haven’t supplied perception into why Warner chosen the actual location for the bombing, which broken an AT&T constructing and wreaked havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in a number of Southern states. By Monday, the corporate stated the vast majority of companies had been restored for residents and companies.
Forensic analysts had been reviewing proof from the blast website to attempt to determine the parts of the explosives in addition to data from the US Bomb Information Middle for intelligence and investigative leads, in line with a legislation enforcement official who stated investigators had been analyzing Warner’s digital footprint and monetary historical past.
The official, who was not licensed to debate an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity, stated federal brokers had been analyzing various potential leads and pursuing a number of theories, together with the chance that the AT&T constructing was focused.
The bombing happened on a vacation morning nicely earlier than downtown streets had been bustling with exercise. Police had been responding to a report of pictures fired Friday after they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning {that a} bomb would detonate in quarter-hour. Then, for causes which will by no means be recognized, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly earlier than the blast.