Three people were slightly injured at a movie theater in Antioch, Tenn., today in an attack by a man with a gun, pepper spray and a hatchet. Officials say the gunman then was fatally shot by police.
Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron says the victims – one man and two women – are being interviewed by police. The man has a wound on his shoulder "that could have come from a blow from a hatchet" and the two women were "doused" in pepper spray. Aaron described what happened:
" 'An officer entered the theater where Mad Max was showing. The officer started at the projection room and started clearing down. He encountered the gunman, the gunman opened fire on the south precinct officer. That officer returned his fire and then backed away out of the theater.' "
Aaron says the suspect wore a surgical mask, perhaps to negate the effects of the chemical spray he dispersed. The suspect left by the back door and was then shot and killed by officers.
Police are still working to confirm the suspect's identity, but they believe he's a 51-year-old local man.
A fire department spokesman says only three people were treated for injuries and no one was taken to the hospital.
The attack comes after a movie theater shooting in Louisiana.
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