NASHVILLE TEEN DIDN’T WANT TO GET UP FOR SCHOOL, SHOOTS FAMILY

NASHVILLE —An argument about getting out of bed  led a teenage boy to open fire Tuesday on three family members, including his grandmother and two young children, police said.

Officers responded at 7:17 a.m. CT to a report of an active shooting and shut down several roads in the area.

“There was a quarrel about getting up and getting ready for the day when (at some point) the 16-year-old ran to a closet, got a 9 mm handgun and started firing,” said Kris Mumford, Nashville police spokeswoman.

Bullets struck the teen’s 67-year-old grandmother twice. His 12-year-old sister and 6-year-old nephew were struck at least once each; the teen’s nephew is his older sister’s son, Mumford said.

The victims’ wounds are not life-threatening, and no one else was injured.

But the teen, whose name was not released, also attempted to shoot his 42-year-old mother in the living room. Mumford said the woman ducked behind a couch to avoid being hit, and the boy’s 2-year-old sister was not shot at.

The teen then fled and tossed the gun at a nearby apartment, the police spokeswoman said. Several nearby schools were placed on lockdown as police searched for the teen.

Police eventually recovered the handgun and captured the teen walking in the area. He faces at least five counts of aggravated assault.

The teen’s family members told officers they were not aware the firearm was in a closet, Mumford said. Investigators plan to test the gun to track where it came from.

“Fortunately these were non life-threatening injuries,” Mumford said. “These are disturbing actions as the community as a whole is addressing youth violence. It’s going to take all of us working together to try and dissuade people from using this kind of violence.”