Antonio King was a Nashville man who is shot and injured three people in a workplace. The shooting left three injured, a gunman dead, and others traumatized by the event.
He was a dayside shift employee when police say he fired a gun at employees in Antioch.
Age
He was 22 years old.
Incident Details
Police said King entered at shift change — about 6 a.m. — and began firing, but no one was hit. He exited the building and shot out with security guards through the doors, firing more than 20 rounds. Metro police said they believe King was hit during the exchange of gunfire as well.
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As 911 calls came into dispatchers, King began to walk across the parking lot. “He’s shooting everywhere,” one caller said, and another described the shooter and kept the dispatcher apprized of his movements until police arrived.
Antonio King Shot Dead
Metro Nashville Police released the 911 calls and body camera footage from two officers who opened fire during the incident. The body camera video shows officers following King down the sidewalk, repeatedly calling for him to drop his gun. With officers approaching several angles, King stopped in the middle of an intersection and turned toward Officer Dylan Ramos and Officer Cherell Kinchloe. When he pointed his gun at the officers, they opened fire.
Officers handcuffed King and rendered aid until an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital.
The alleged shooter was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Victims
Two security guards at the SmileDirectClub warehouse — Johnny Hardin, 46, and Carlton Watson, 66 — were hospitalized, Hardin in critical condition, and Watson in stable condition. Fifty-four-year-old Thomas Abbott, a manager at the facility, was treated and released, WKRN reported. Another employee injured a leg running away.
Police Report
Police said King, who worked the day shift at the warehouse, had been working there since June but had previously worked at the facility from late 2019 to early 2020.
King’s family said the man had a mental illness, but they were unaware of its severity:
“The heart of our family is broken at the news of the shooting at Smile Direct Club. For the families impacted by the shooting, we cry and pray with you. For those who were injured and frightened by the event, we empathize with you and pray for you. When we say we are praying for you, it is not a cliché; it is heartfelt.
