The girlfriend of the suspected Nashville bomber reportedly warned police last year that he was making explosives.
A police report first obtained by The Tennessean and later shared with The Hill reveals that officers visited the home of Anthony Q. Warner more than a year ago after his girlfriend warned that he was making bombs in his recreational vehicle.
Authorities confirmed on Sunday that Warner was the suspect in the RV explosion that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas morning. The Tennessean reported at the time that authorities identified him through DNA found at the scene.
Officers visited the woman’s home on Aug. 21, 2019, during which she made statements that her boyfriend was “building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence,” the police report states.
While at the home, officers also spoke with an attorney who represented the couple. The attorney, identified by the Tennessean as Raymond Throckmorton III, stated that the suspect frequently talked about being in the military and making bombs.
The attorney said he “believes that the suspect knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb.”
Police then went to Warner’s home, where they saw his RV behind the house, but the yard was fenced and police couldn’t see inside.
“Police attempted several times but could not get the suspect to open the door and police did not have contact with him,” the report read.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told The Hill that the report was sent to the FBI on Aug. 22, 2019, which looked to see if it had records of Warner. Later that day, the agency said it hadn’t had any.
During the week of Aug. 26, 2019, the Hazardous Devices Unit made contact with Throckmorton, the Department said in its statement.
“The recollection of that call is that Warner did not care for the police, and that Throckmorton would not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the RV.”
The Department said, “at no time was there any evidence of a crime detected and no additional action was taken.”
Warner died in the explosion, which injured three people and damaged about 41 businesses.
Neighbors told The Associated Press on Monday that Warner said the world was “never going to forget me” just days before the explosion.
Authorities are still investigating possible motives behind the bombing.