The shooter who opened fire inside a Nashville high school cafeteria on Wednesday, killing a female student, shared racist and incel content in writings on social media, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Analysts with the ADL Center on Extremism “have located a manifesto and social media accounts believed to belong to the shooter, where he shared a range of incel, accelerationist, white supremacist, antisemitic & anti-Black content,” the organization wrote in a Wednesday post on X (formerly Twitter).

Local media outlets have posted details and excerpts from the lengthy document, which the shooter reportedly shared on social media. Those accounts have since been taken down. Newsweek is trying to verify the origins of the document.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has not confirmed if the writings posted online are linked to the shooter, but it said the department is “examining very concerning on-line writings and social media posts connected” to the shooter. The department has been contacted by Newsweek via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Police identified the shooter as 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, a student at Antioch High School.

Police said the shooter confronted a student, 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante, in the school’s cafeteria on Wednesday and opened fire, killing her. Another male student, who was grazed by a bullet, was treated and released from the hospital, police said. Henderson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said.

Police and federal and state agencies are examining “very concerning online writings and social media posts” connected to Henderson as they work to establish a motive for the shooting, Nashville police said in a Wednesday evening statement.

What To Know

The ADL did not name the shooter but wrote on X that in addition to his social media accounts, it “appears the shooter was active in multiple obscure online forums.”

These included a “far-right reactionary image board primarily focused on violent, racist & white supremacist themes framed as humor; incel forums where users of color are told they are incels because they’re not white, leading to intensifying self-loathing & internalized racism,” the ADL wrote in another post.

Henderson was also reportedly active on “a gore forum, where mass killers of all ideologies are frequently lauded, including the recent Madison, Wisconsin, shooter, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow.”

Newsweek has contacted the ADL for further comment via email.

What Do We Know So Far About Solomon Henderson?

Police said that their investigation has not yet established a connection between Henderson and the victims and that the gunfire may have been random.

Asked by a reporter if he had a criminal history, police said there may have been “one prior incident,” without providing further details.

Police said in a statement that they “will not be at liberty” to address questions about any prior interaction with Henderson because Tennessee law “protects juvenile information in most law enforcement matters.”

Did Solomon Henderson Have Facebook, X or any Other Social Media?

The writings contained links to several social media platforms, including X, Kick and TikTok, according to The Tennessean.

Kick, a video-streaming platform, confirmed that the shooting was partially livestreamed on the platform. “We extend our thoughts to everyone impacted by this event,” the company said in a statement posted on X.

It went on: “KICK rapidly banned the account and removed the video. Violence has no place on KICK. We are actively working with law enforcement and taking all appropriate steps to support their investigation.”

What Weapon Was Used in Nashville School Shooting?

Henderson killed himself with a handgun, Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference.

What People Are Saying

Carla Hill, senior director of investigative research at the ADL Center on Extremism, told Newsweek: “Our analysts located a sprawling manifesto full of anti-Black content, references to accelerationism and antisemitism. It also plagiarized from various far-right manifestos and publications, including Terrorgram Collective and a manifesto by Matthew Harris.”

Oren Segal, vice president of the ADL Center on Extremism, told Newsweek: “These online spaces not only glorify violent fantasies, extremist ideologies and mass killers but also fuel offline violence—acts that are often as incomprehensible as the ideologies that drive them.”

Metro Nashville Public Schools said in a statement on Facebook: “Our MNPS community is mourning the loss of two Antioch High School students Wednesday in a tragic shooting. We are thinking of everyone affected by this shocking and unimaginable loss. Antioch High will be closed Thursday and Friday, January 23 and 24, to give students and staff time to grieve.”

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon: “As a city, as a community, it is impossibly difficult to be here once again dealing with the devastation of gun violence in one of our school communities. As a Metro Schools parent, I know how difficult it is to receive a notification of an emergency operation at a Metro school. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to receive the notification that there’s been this level of violence in a school community.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said in a statement on X: “I’ve been briefed on the incident at Antioch High School and am grateful for law enforcement & first responders who responded quickly and continue to investigate. As we await more information, I join Tennesseans in praying for the victims, their families & the school community.”

The White House said in a statement sent to Newsweek: “The President and his team are monitoring the news out of Nashville. As details unfold, the White House offers its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to those impacted by this senseless tragedy and thank the brave first responders responding to the incident.”

What’s Next

The Metro Nashville Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting. Antioch High School will be closed for the rest of the week.