One officer – who entered the theater and fired at the man before backing away – said he saw a gun.
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It is impossible to say for sure whether Montano knew that the pellet gun would easily be mistaken for a pistol, which is exactly what authorities say happened.
Police said the gunman was wearing a surgical mask, possibly to stop the effects of the pepper spray. SWAT team came in with gas masks due to the chemical spray in the theater. He was later killed trying to escape through the back door. He was fatally shot by police.
Montano was reported missing on Monday, CBS affiliate WTVF reported.
Authorities said the attacker was believed to be a 51-year-old local man.
Aaron added an Airsoft gun will make a pop, similar to a smaller caliber handgun. One of Montano’s two backpacks was detonated and found to contain a fake bomb, Aaron said.
In a statement, Representative Gilliard said, “Given the past incidents and the one which occurred today in Tennessee, it is time for more immediate action which will enhance public safety”.
A 58-year-old man sustained “superficial” injuries to his shoulder and arm from the hatchet and was also hit with pepper spray.
Nashville Fire Department spokesman Brian Haas said Wednesday that police were responding to a theater in Antioch, a suburb southeast of Nashville.
Police said one person may have suffered a hatchet wound before the suspect was killed by police.
Police confirm Montano has a history of both arrests and mental health commitments. A house on 16th Street is listed in Denise Pruett’s name. Police are now calling those devices “hoax devices”. Officials identify the man as Vincente David Montaro, 29 of Nashville. The theater is Carmike Hickory 8, according to address records. He also thanked citizens who helped him and his daughter when they were pepper sprayed.
Police have identified the assailant in the Tennessee movie theater attack as a 29-year-old man who had been committed four times for psychiatric treatment.
“There’s still a lot of work to do as far as his background”, he said.
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34% of moviegoers say theater visitors should have to go through a metal detector, and that there should be armed guards present in theater lobbies. Many officers were heavily armed. Steven was one of the eight people inside the theater, and was also one of the few that was pepper sprayed by Montano.
