A mother is speaking out after what she describes as a frightening encounter involving three men holding rifle-style weapons and pointing them toward passing cars near East Park in East Nashville on Thursday morning.
Emmee Henley said she was driving along Woodland Street with her two young children around 11:30 a.m. when she noticed three men, believed to be in their mid-20s, standing near the park and aiming what appeared to be rifles at oncoming traffic.
She said the moment escalated quickly as she realized what she was seeing.
“All the scenarios go into your head immediately, and I was not going to wait around to see if it is real. I am going to assume the worst because, unfortunately, in this day and age, it is the worst,” Henley said.
Henley said she immediately focused on getting past the area safely. Once she was clear, she drove to the Woodland Play Cafe, where she rushed her children inside for safety.
“I was just driving past and I noticed it, and as soon as I saw them pointing them at oncoming traffic, I was just like look forward and hoping nothing was going to happen,” she said.
Inside the cafe, Henley said she and her children stayed in the bathroom while she contacted police and posted a warning on TikTok to alert others in the area.
“In that moment I was willing to do anything I had to do to keep my kids safe,” she said.
Henley said she does not know whether the weapons were real or part of a prank, but she called the situation dangerous either way.
Metro Nashville Police have not yet confirmed details of the incident or said whether additional reports were made.