Antisemitic Nashville School Shooter Reportedly Names Conservative Pundit as Inspiration: 'Candace Owens Influenced Me Above All'

The 17-year-old accused of carrying out a deadly shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville reportedly cited conservative commentator Candace Owens as a key influence in disturbing writings.

Solomon Henderson, who is accused of killing 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and injuring another student before turning the gun on himself, detailed his plans in a series of online posts before the attack.

The posts, obtained by NewsChannel 5, included a layout of the school, photos of his weapon, anti-semitic statements and professions of self-hatred. He began the writing proclaiming he "was ashamed to be Black," and went on to share material from the Goyim Defense League, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group that had previously visited Nashville.

The posts went on to reference other figures the shooter drew inspiration from. "Candace Owens influenced me above all each time she spoke," Henderson allegedly wrote.

The reference to Owens, a high-profile conservative pundit known for her controversial views on race and politics, has led to significant backlash against Owens as her opponents point to the school shooting as a consequence of polarizing rhetoric.

Owens responded to the reports via social media, calling the alleged manifesto "an obvious troll" and claiming that Henderson had plagiarized language from the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mass shooting manifesto.

"It is truly sickening that people would use the death of a young 16-year-old girl to try to quickly score political points, rather than to responsibly make sure that what they are sharing is accurate," Owens wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

She argued that the media's eagerness to push narratives for clicks has led to the spread of misinformation, adding that Henderson never even followed her on social media.

Henderson's writings, which he posted online before the attack, also praised past mass shooters and included links to guides on carrying out mass killings. Despite the shocking content, he stated that he did not consider himself a victim of bullying and did not intend to target law enforcement.

Authorities are continuing to investigate Henderson's online activity and potential influences, including extremist content he may have accessed online. Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake stated that they are in the early stages of analyzing the materials Henderson posted and the broader motivations behind the attack.