Three injured in shooting at SmileDirectClub in Tennessee, suspected gunman dead

Three people were shot on Tuesday at a SmileDirectClub in a Nashville, Tenn., neighborhood, and the gunman believed to be responsible has been killed by police officers.

The Tennessean reported that police responded to a shooting at a SmileDirectClub location in Antioch, Tenn., just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday. A man entered the building during a shift change and opened fire inside.

The three employees who were shot are still alive and were taken to a local area hospital for treatment. One is in critical condition, the Tennessean reported.

One employee was shot in the chest, one was shot in the abdomen and another was shot in the leg. Another employee injured their ankle while running away from the shooting.

When police arrived at the scene, a man fitting the description of the shooter was seen at a nearby intersection holding a gun. At the time, officers told the man to drop his gun, but instead he pointed it at the officers. Officers shot the man, who later died after being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

No officers were injured in the altercation.

The man officers shot was identified as 22-year-old Antonio King. According to police, King had started working at SmileDirectClub in June after having previously worked at the business between late 2019 and early 2020.

“SmileDirectClub is saddened at the incident that took place at its manufacturing facilities this morning,” SmileDirectClub said in a statement to the Tennessean. “The incident was contained quickly by security personnel on site. The safety of our team members is a top priority for our company and we maintain strict security protocols. We are working with the local police as they investigate this matter.”