Mass shooting in Nashville leaves 3 people injured, shooter killed by the police

The shooting happened early Tuesday at a Smile Direct Club manufacturing facility in Nashville. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

Tuesday morning's shooting at a Smile Direct Club warehouse in Middle Tennessee left three injured, a gunman dead, and others traumatized by the event.

Antonio King, 22, was a dayside shift employee when police say he fired a gun at employees in Antioch. 

“The overnight shift was getting off and he seemingly was reporting for work, but with him as he reported for work was this Glock semi-automatic pistol with a magazine and for some reason he opened fire," Metro Police spokesperson Don Aaron said. 

Police addressed the public Tuesday after an unthinkable morning where an employee fired a weapon during a shift change.

King was shot and killed by police on Antioch Pike Smile Direct Club after they say he shot two security guards and a warehouse manager.

One employee was shot in the chest, one in the abdomen and one in the leg, police said. They were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where one remained in critical condition Tuesday.

Another employee who hurt their ankle while running was transported to TriStar Century Farms ER, Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant said. 

Police identified the shooting victims as a 46-year-old security guard who was in critical condition; a 66 year-old security guard who was in stable condition; and a 54-year-old manager at the warehouse facility who was treated and released from a hospital.

When police arrived minutes after the shooting call, they saw a man matching the shooter's description with a gun at the intersection of Antioch Pike and Franklin Limestone Road.

"He had left the building and was walking on the street near Limestone when officers attempted to bring him into custody," Aaron said. "Who knows what he intended to do next."

The officers asked the man to drop the gun, Aaron said, but he pointed it at the officers instead. 

Officers shot the man, identified as Antonio D. King, 22, and he died after being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Aaron said

FOX 17 News spoke with a coworker, who described King as "nice, polite and smart."

The coworker says she had no idea why this would happen. Neither do police.

"To the best of our knowledge at this moment, this one person, one gunman, an employee here, who walked in and started shooting for reasons still to be determined," police said.

In a statement on Twitter, Smile Direct Club said its employees were "shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic incident." They later reiterated that the company has a strict no-weapons policy. 

The three people injured include 46-year-old Johnny Hardin, 66-year-old Carlton Watson, and 54-year-old Thomas Abbott.

The employee we spoke with had no further details on when they'd be able to re-enter the building.