Antioch High School killer Solomon Henderson, who police say killed one and injured two before taking his own life on Wednesday, was reportedly the subject of multiple suspensions or other behavioral consequences during his time in Nashville’s public schools, though neither the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) nor Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) confirmed this in response to Friday press inquiries from The Tennessee Star.
It was reported on Thursday by WSMV 4 that two sources familiar Henderson’s disciplinary history in MNPS said the attacker “had long been a concern,” with the sources apparently pointing toward disciplinary action taken against Henderson after he was caught bringing a box cutter to school.
The outlet also reported the future killer was suspended after fighting with another student, with the sources telling the outlet that Henderson claimed he was first insulted by another pupil. A third incident reportedly involved Henderson threatening the life of a middle school teacher.
In light of these suspensions, which apparently occurred over years, The Star contacted MNPD to ask whether Henderson received any mental health services from the school after these incidents in a Friday press inquiry.
MNPD spokesman Don Aaron said the department’s investigation remains ongoing, and referred The Star to MNPS for questions that concern, “suspensions of any students and its policies concerning mental health services for any students.”
Press inquiries sent by The Star to Dr. Adrienne Battle, who serves as the superintendent for MNPS, and the school system’s communications department did not receive a response on Friday.
According to the department, detectives discovered two documents left by Henderson after the shooting, totaling over 300 pages total.
The Star obtained what appear to be copies of these documents, but MNPD has yet to authenticate that they are the materials authored by Henderson and did not respond to a request to release copies of the documents in their possession to The Star.
Within those documents, the author does not appear to indicate receiving any type of mental health treatment.
The document that Henderson purportedly titled a manifesto contains just one line referencing therapy, in which the author writes, “N***** don’t need therapy from the man who owes you richies.”
Henderson’s purported diary similarly contains no suggestion the teen received mental health treatment, with zero mentions of therapy or counseling. It contains just one mention of a doctor, with the author writing that a physician determined he was five feet eight inches tall, which he considered “short” and “unattractive.”
The documents seem to reveal the author was motivated by an antisemitic and racist ideology, with the author naming influencers representing both sides of the political spectrum.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo appears in the manifesto and diary allegedly composed by Henderson.
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were there perscription drugs again this time ?
Antioch and metro schools are known for behavioral problem students. This is nothing new. I would not go near Antioch high school back in the 70’s and it’s still bad today. Minority students who don’t speak English have only made this area worse along with juvenile crime and we all know metro is soft on juvenile crime. Entire school system needs a reboot!!