NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Officials have confirmed one shot was fired at the West End Synagogue in Nashville.
Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department said a maintenance worker heard a loud noise around 8:30 a.m. Monday, but didn’t think much of it.
After finishing some of his work, he started looking around the building as he usually does. It was then that he noticed a hole in a metal window frame.
“Knowing that that was highly unusual, he had not seen it before, and as he looked at it even more closely he saw that there was actually a bullet there, at the hole,” said Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron.
Police were called to the scene shortly after 9 a.m. They worked to piece together what happened. Officers looked for any additional bullet holes, but were unable to find anything.
“This happened before the staff of the synagogue arrived, so the maintenance worker and perhaps one other person, were the only ones on the property when his happened,” Aaron said.
No one was injured during the shooting.
Metro crime scene lab teams were looking closer at the bullet to determine what type of gun it was fired from. They were also analyzing tire tread marks in front of the synagogue to see if they could have been related to the shooting.
Security cameras located on the outside of the synagogue may give police the clue they are looking for.
“The police department has video experts who have arrived now and will be looking at the security system to see if there’s any potential evidence there,” according to Aaron.
Investigators from the FBI were notified about the incident. Other Jewish facilities across Middle Tennessee have been told to be on a heightened state of alert as a precaution.
“If you’ve been reading the newspapers, and following the news, incidents of anti-semitism are up worldwide,” said Mark Freedman, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Two vehicles blocked the driveway in front of the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Bellevue Monday afternoon.
“Our antenna is up, and we’ll be doing our utmost to continue to ensure the safety and security of our constituents,” Freedman said.
The local federation sent out an alert to Jewish facilities across the country, letting them know about the incident Monday morning in Nashville.
“And this alert went out, just for them to remain vigilant in terms of reassuring their facilities are secure,’ Freedman said.
Anyone who may have seen what happened, or who may have seen a vehicle in front of the synagogue around 8:30 a.m. has been asked to contact Metro Police or call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME (615-742-7463).
