Nashville Mayor John Cooper Announces Curfew Around Blast Site, Focus on Catching Bombers: ‘We Are Going from Relief Now to Resolve’

Nashville Mayor John Cooper addressed the early morning bombing that rocked his city and injured three, announcing that he was instituting a three-day curfew across several blocks in downtown and said the focus is now on tracking down those responsible for the attack.

Speaking at a live press conference, Cooper said he had toured the blast site and reiterated earlier reports that the attack was intentional and a “deliberate bomb being set off in our community.”

“I certainly have gone from relief that there were not  more casualties and that’s an amazing thing that there were not, particularly when people began to see the devastation on Second Avenue,” Cooper said. “There is a relief that there were not more casualties, but for now, anger, determination, resolve and resolve to rebuild and not be deterred to enter bring whoever was responsible for this to justice.”

He noted that there were at least 41 businesses that had been damaged by the blast, with more expected to be identified in the coming days as the damage assessment continued. The three Nashville police officers who were injured in the blast, he noted, are recovering well in the hospital.

“Metro [police] is establishing their curfew and the explosion impact area from 4:30 today until 4:30 p.m. this Sunday,” he announced. “The curfew area is going to provide safety and security for businesses in this area, but it will be sometime before Second Avenue is back to normal.”

“This morning’s attack on our community was intended to create chaos and fear. In this season of peace and hope. But none civilians have proven time and time again that the spirit of our city can’t be broken,” Cooper added. “I think the message of today is we are going from relief now to resolve. To catch those folks and to rebuild our city, and one more challenge for Nashville in 2020 but we will get through it.”

Watch the video above, via Fox News.