Antioch, Tennessee – Metro police say a 51-year-old male suspect who opened fire in a Antioch theater this afternoon sprayed two females with pepper spray and injured one man with a hatchet.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said the two first-responding officers were working a traffic stop when witnesses ran to them to alert them to the situation inside the theater, Carmike Hickory 8.
A sergeant responding outside the theater encountered two women, 53 and 17, who had been injured by pepper spray, officials said. A third victim, a 58-year-old man, was also sprayed with pepper spray and suffered a superficial injury to his shoulder from the hatchet, officials said.
Police said about 2:20 p.m. they were examining two backpacks, one on the suspect and one left in the theater, to make sure they were not dangerous. Later, at about 3:30 p.m., officials said they would detonate the bags at the scene to make sure they are safe. Aaron said the shooting occurred in a theater showing Mad Max.
Officers entered through the projection room and engaged the suspect in gunfire. He said the suspect was wearing a surgical mask at the time.
“The officer started at the projection room and started clearing down,” Aaron said. “He encountered the gunman. The gunman opened fire on the South Precinct officer. That officer returned his fire, and then backed away out of the theater.”
The SWAT team responded and confronted the suspect, Aaron said.
“There was gunfire and the gunman is deceased just inside the movie theater,” he said. “So we believe the imminent threat has been ended.”
Aaron said in a 3 p.m. press briefing that two females were injured with pepper spray and one male suffered the superficial hatchet wound.
Eric Vale, 32, said he was an Uber driver who was dropping off passengers in the theater parking lot when shots rang out.
He described it as “utter chaos.”
“I just couldn’t believe this was happening again,” he said.
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