Hero cops who saved hundreds from blast
Families rescued with minutes to spare
SINISTER The RV being driven before explosion
SIX police officers who raced to evacuate sleeping families before a motorhome rigged with explosives blew up have been hailed as heroes.
They leapt into action at around 6am on Christmas morning after a message played from the vehicle warned it was going to explode in 15 minutes.
The message reportedly changed to “if you hear this, evacuate now”, seconds before the blast.
Nasvhille police chief John Drake said the group – Amanda Topping, Brenna Hosey, James Luellen, Michael Sipos, James Wells and Timothy Miller – saved countless lives going doorto-door to tell residents to flee.
Chief Drake said: “‘ These officers didn’t care about themselves. They didn’t think about that.
“They cared about the citizens of Nashville. They went in and we’d be talking not about the debris that we have here, but potential people.”
Three residents were taken to hospital with non-critical injuries.
In a press briefing Chief Drake also
DEVASTATION Bomb inflicted massive damage confirmed police were investigating whether tissue found at the bomb site could be human amid speculation it may be some of the bomber’s remains.
Police had gone to the street early in the morning after reports of a suspicious vehicle and called the bomb squad on hearing the recorded message. But the RV exploded before the experts arrived.
The blast damaged dozens of buildings and caused outages to phone and internet services throughout the state of Te n n e s s e e , hobbling 911 systems and Nashville International Airport.
The impact of the blast was felt over many blocks, with people reporting the ground shaking and windows shattering. FBI investigators were on site yesterday to assist with the inquiry and President Donald Trump, who is at his Mar-a-Lago resort, has been briefed.
Police are yet to establish a motive or target, but spokesman Don Aaron said some people were being questioned in connection with the blast.
Yesterday officers were still combing the area for signs of other explosives.