MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Officials now say those mortar shells found Wednesday in Murfreesboro were live rounds.
Lt. Bill Miller with the Tennessee Highway Patrol tells WMOT the five shells did contain explosives. They were defused by a bomb disposal group from Ft. Campbell and taken into military custody.
The shells and a dummy training grenade were found in a backpack near the dumpsters at Ashwood Cove Apartments Wednesday morning by a maintenance worker.
Murfreesboro Police say they’re working to find out how the shells ended up at the complex, which is located a few blocks north of Middle Tennessee State.
Here's a press statement about the incident released Wednesday afternoon by MPD spokesman Kyle Evans:
This morning the MPD responded to Ashwood Cove II at 1606 North Tenn Blvd for a backpack found near a trash compactor. It contained several mortar rounds and a training hand grenade. The items will be safely disposed of. THP Bomb Squad, ATF and FBI responded to the scene. At this time, it has not been confirmed if any of them are real. The CID is investigating. Kyle Evans