A horrifying school shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville has been further darkened by revelations that the gunman, a 17-year-old Black student, espoused neo-Nazi beliefs and claimed conservative commentator Candace Owens inspired his ideology.
According to an extensive report by the Daily Mail, Solomon Henderson, 17, opened fire on his classmates in the school cafeteria on Wednesday morning, killing 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and injuring another student before taking his own life. Two additional male students were wounded in the chaos.
The attack, partially streamed online, unfolded just before 11 a.m. Police investigating the shooter’s motives uncovered a manifesto allegedly written by Henderson that reveals a deeply disturbing mindset. As reported by the Daily Mail, the document highlights the gunman’s internalized racial hatred, fixation on Adolf Hitler, and obsessive admiration for white supremacist ideologies.
In a section of the manifesto titled “Is there a particular group or person that radicalized you the most?” Henderson credited several far-right figures, including Owens, as pivotal to his radicalization.
“Candace Owens has influenced me above all. Each time she spoke, I was stunned by her insights,” the manifesto reportedly states, according to the Daily Mail. “Her views helped push me further and further into the belief of violence over the Jewish question.”
The manifesto also references far-right influencer Nick Fuentes, YouTuber MrBeast, and even Kanye West, while detailing Henderson’s preparation for the attack, including playing violent video games and consuming the writings of other infamous mass shooters.
Daily Mail investigators highlighted Henderson’s posts on social media platforms like BlueSky, where he shared chilling pre-attack warnings. “Today is a good day to die,” Henderson wrote just hours before the rampage. He later posted, “I thought someone had found out when I got called to the office, but it was just a probation officer. We’re good; everything will be going as scheduled.”
Photos of Henderson performing Nazi salutes have surfaced, further corroborating his admiration for Hitler, the Nazis, and his disdain for his own race.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the manifesto contains repeated expressions of shame at being Black and contempt for Antioch High School, a predominantly Black and Hispanic institution.
The Daily Mail also highlighted Henderson’s scathing critique of the education system, which he described as a “daycare” where students are unable to think for themselves. “You say things because other people have said it before, then go repeat [them] ad nauseam somewhere else,” Henderson allegedly wrote.
Candace Owens, who has been criticized for downplaying the Holocaust and making inflammatory remarks about Muslims and Jews, denied any connection to the manifesto. In a statement shared on X, Owens dismissed the writings as “a deranged troll,” asserting that the shooter never followed her or MrBeast on social media. “It is sickening that people would use the death of a young 16-year-old girl to try to quickly score political points,” she added.
The Daily Mail noted that Owens has faced international backlash in the past, including being denied a visa to Australia over controversial comments. Her influence, cited directly by Henderson in the manifesto, is likely to add to ongoing debates about the role of public figures in fueling extremist ideologies.
Survivors of the attack described the chaos and fear as Henderson burst into the cafeteria, spraying bullets. A 12th-grade student recounted to Daily Mail how he initially thought the gunfire was the sound of a chip bag popping. “It was just a rush. I wanted to do something crazy, like run out there and help people, but my mind was so cluttered,” he said. “There was a lot of screaming, a lot of terror. People were scared to die.”
The Daily Mail also reports that Henderson’s manifesto chronicles his mental health struggles, his feelings of isolation, and his perception of himself as a “worthless subhuman.” His final entries detail plans for the attack, along with images of the weapons he intended to use.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to the Daily Mail that they are analyzing Henderson’s online activity and writings in collaboration with federal and state agencies. The Metro Nashville Police Department stated that they are working to establish a clear motive for the rampage, but early findings point to the shooter’s extremist views and disconnection from reality.
The tragedy has left the Antioch High School community reeling, as the Daily Mail emphasized, with grieving families and shocked students mourning the loss of Josselin Corea Escalante and trying to make sense of the senseless violence.
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