Out & Proud lesbian police officer, Amanda Topping, is one of six who have been praised for preventing casualties after an explosion in Nashville, Tennessee on the morning of December 25. According to CNN, Anthony Quinn Warner, a 63-year-old man, was identified as the bomber, and died when his camper van exploded on 2nd Avenue in the city’s downtown area. The blast injured at least eight people and damaged more than 40 buildings, and police have not yet identified Warner’s motive. Neighbours referred to him as a ‘recluse’ who “kept to himself”.
Topping, and a handful of other police officers, were hailed as heroes by the city’s local news outlet for their response to the situation which ensured no one was critically injured. Topping recounted the incident to Nashville Channel 5 News: “My wife had just called because it was toward the end of our shift, so she was seeing what time I was coming home. Well, I told her we were about to head to this call, it’s a little strange…[I had] a feeling something’s not right.” When arriving at the scene, Topping said: “I just saw the biggest flames I’ve ever seen. The biggest explosion…I’ll never forget the windows shattering after the blast all around me.”
She escorted citizens away from the scene and called medics to assist those who were injured. Local police chief, John Drake, praised Topping and the other officers involved: “They thought about the citizens of Nashville and protecting them…They might not think they’re heroes because they go about this job each and every day, but they are our heroes, and they had a really heroic effort that morning.”