Community Outrage Grows After Antioch High School Shooter’s Troubling History Revealed
Antioch, TN — A wave of anger, grief, and unanswered questions has erupted among teachers, parents, and lawmakers following the release of juvenile court records belonging to Solomon Henderson, the 17-year-old student who shot and killed classmate Dayana Escalante, 16, at Antioch High School before turning the gun on himself on January 22, 2025.
The disturbing revelations contained in Henderson’s unsealed juvenile court documents confirm what many educators had feared: the school system and Tennessee’s juvenile justice apparatus may have failed to take the necessary steps to prevent a tragedy that, by multiple accounts, had clear warning signs.
A Pattern of Violence and Threats
According to court records, Henderson had a documented history of threatening behavior, violence, and even criminal conduct. As recently as October 2024, he threatened another student with a box cutter for merely greeting him in the hallway. He allegedly warned that he would “cut anyone that walked up on him.” Despite this alarming threat, he received only a two-day suspension and was allowed to return to campus.
The incident followed an even more serious charge from 2023, when Henderson was arrested for aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after allegedly downloading child pornography. That charge, remarkably, was “retired” after Henderson underwent treatment—meaning it would be dismissed if he stayed out of legal trouble. But trouble continued to follow.
Going back even further, records show he had previously been charged with assaulting his mother in Montgomery County in 2020.
Despite these red flags, Henderson remained enrolled at Antioch High School. He continued to make threats against students and teachers—some recorded in videos—yet faced minimal consequences. Teachers now say the disciplinary system at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) tied their hands.
Teachers Sound the Alarm
“There have been numerous threats against teachers and students,” said one teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He told us he was going to do it, and he did it.”
Teachers described a culture of leniency that prioritized quick suspension over meaningful intervention. One teacher asked, “Where did we go wrong here? What happened to allow this child to go so far this way that there was minimal intervention?”
Another teacher added, “We warned the administration multiple times. But the way the disciplinary matrix is set up, there’s nothing we could do. Threats just didn’t meet the threshold for expulsion.”
The MNPS discipline policy states that students can be expelled for threatening harm—but only if there is a “detailed plan.” This gray area left room for interpretation, and in Henderson’s case, Metro chose to suspend him briefly rather than remove him permanently from the school.
Lawmakers and Legal Experts Respond
Frustrated by the lack of transparency and accountability, the Tennessee General Assembly took the rare step of voting to unseal Henderson’s juvenile records. State Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) championed the move, stating that public access to Henderson’s history was essential in understanding how such a tragedy was allowed to occur.
“If someone goes into a school and they kill a child, that’s horrendous,” Lamberth said. “Every single aspect of their background should be looked at. This was not a case that shocked those around him—it was expected.”
NewsChannel 5 Legal Analyst Nick Leonardo pointed to the unsealed records as an indication that state legislators are increasingly concerned about how local jurisdictions—particularly in larger counties—are managing juvenile justice.
“A lot of folks think the General Assembly is really targeting counties where they don’t approve of how they handle their juvenile court systems,” Leonardo said. “The question is no longer just about discipline—it’s about accountability and public safety.”
An Open Investigation and an Ongoing Debate
The fatal shooting has triggered widespread criticism of both the juvenile justice system and the Metro Nashville Public School system’s disciplinary protocols. Many are demanding sweeping reforms to prevent another tragedy from slipping through the cracks.
Parents, still reeling from the news, have flooded school board meetings with questions and demands for greater oversight, transparency, and safety protocols. Meanwhile, the investigation into how Henderson was allowed to return to school amid such a dangerous history remains ongoing.
As the community mourns the loss of a bright young life in Dayana Escalante, and reckons with the tragic trajectory of Solomon Henderson, one question echoes louder than all the rest:
How many warning signs does it take before someone listens?
The public and policymakers now face the sobering task of addressing the systemic gaps that contributed to this heartbreaking loss—and ensuring that no other family has to endure the same unimaginable pain.