Follow along in Wednesday's new blog for live updates as we learn more. Victims of The Covenant School shooting mourned at vigil in Nashville. Halemay have transferred to another school after that, he said. Nashville shooting: Shooter Audrey Hale sent Instagram DMs The video, with no audio, is more than two minutes long. Biden believes recent legislative actions have not been enough. Biden repeats his call for meaningful gun control reform, the K-12 School Shooting Database resource, Three children and three adults killed in attack, Police killed attacker, 28, a former student. Hale and Sims attended Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts and the Nashville School of the Arts. It's not logical," said the woman, who asked not to be named out of fear of online reprisals. follow our coverage from Tuesday, March 28 here. Even before the Covenant School shooting, Drake had concerns about gun violence. "I'll never understand, it because it's not a logical thing to do. Following a deadly school shooting last month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have passed a proposal that would protect gun and ammunition dealers . Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called for federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the shooting as a religious hate crime citing law enforcement reports that the shooter targeted the Christian school. The 61-year-old wasone of six victims slain in one of the deadliest school shootings in Tennessee history. On Monday night, Tennessee's first lady Maria Lee was set to have dinner with one of her best friends, Cindy Peak, an old colleague from her teacher days who planned to spend the day as a substitute teacher at The Covenant School. We have to do more to protect our schools so they aren't turned into prisons. Deon J. Hampton is a national reporter for NBC News. Audrey Hale sent direct messages from The Covenant School parking lot to a former middle school basketball teammate minutes before Monday's shooting. "These brave officers ran toward the gunfire and eliminated the threat as they are trained to do.''. Hale, who lived in Nashville, had legally purchased seven guns from five different local gun stores, the chief told reporters Tuesday. "It could have been as bad as Uvalde, based on what Hale had for firepower.". April 12, 2023. A former middle school basketball teammate says she receiveda message from Hale on Instagram at 9:57 a.m. Monday less than 20 minutes before the first 911 calls from the school. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Police quickly worked through the first floor clearing classrooms and encouraging each other to move faster. Policing experts said its essential that officials are mindful of what they tell the public, especially since an investigation is so fluid. The photo, which remained on the congressman's Facebook page as of Monday night, shows his wife and two of his three children smiling and holding firearms in front of a Christmas tree. Authorities were speaking to the shooters father, he added. I just know what kind of guy he was. We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church," the school said in a statement Monday night. Its been characterized as a manifesto. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. People gather at a makeshift memorial for victims outside the Covenant school building. Nashville shooting updates: Officers Rex Engelbert, Michael Collazo speak David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Hallie was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, who is the lead pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to a statement from his former church in Dallas. Drake said the officers were trying to decompress the day after the shooting. "That reunification work is really gospel work that we were honored to be a part of Gods plan in that moment.". Three other verified funds are also available for support relief on GoFundMe's website. My heart is broken I do not understand why someone would shoot up a school with precious babies inside. Hale had no [criminal] history at all, Drake said, adding that one AR-style weapon in the attack was a rifle and one a pistol while the other gun was a handgun. Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was an illustrator and graphic designer. Footage from inside The Covenant School was provided by law enforcement showing multiple angles. The police chief did not specify the nature of such presumed resentment, or whether it had anything to do with the suspect's gender identity or the Christian orientation of the school. Hale was fatally shot by a five-member police team around 10:27 a.m. in a second floor lobby. In the hours after the shooting, Drake said of the shooter that officials feel that she identifies as trans, but were still in the initial investigation into all of that and if it actually played a role into this incident.. QUICK REACTION: 14-minute timeline: From the Nashville school shooter's break-in to how police responded. March 28, 2023 - Nashville elementary school shooting - CNN CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "Our community is heartbroken. "Officers entered the first story of the school and begin clearing it. Here's what we know about the Nashville shooting and those who died: How the shooting unfolded Authorities say they received the first call of an active shooter at the Covenant School at. Chief John Drake previously said during a news conference that during a search of the home she shared with her father on Brightwood Avenue, officers found a "manifesto" and drawn maps of the school with entrances and security cameras noted. "So exactly how they showed her on the bodycam footage was exactly how I remember her looking and how she always dressed.". "I have a feeling, when it all comes out, Mikes sacrifice saved lives," Dunavant wrote in a Facebook post. During one call, made at 10:13 a.m., a woman in an art room closet inside . Another high school classmate broke down in tears while speaking with NBC News on Wednesday, grieving the victims and the shooter, whom police killed. A shooting at a private religious grade school in Nashville, Tennessee, left three adults and three 9-year-olds dead on March 27. Sims' father declined to comment Wednesday. Goodbye Mike, Im going to miss those encouraging texts out of the blue from you.". Patton said she called the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff's Office and was instructed to call Nashville's non-emergency number. Covenant school shooting: 3 kids, 3 adults killed in Nashville - USA Today I woke up this morning with a very familiar feeling, and I recognize that today many Tennesseans are feeling the exact same way the emptiness, the lack of understanding, the desperate desire for answers and the desperate need for hope. No, definitely not. Metro Nashville police said Monday afternoon Audrey Hale fired 152 total rounds, 126 from a rifle and 26 nine millimeter rounds from a pistol they carried in the mass shooting. MORE: What we know about Tennessee's gun laws after Nashville shooting Bill Campbell, a headmaster of The Covenant School from 2004 to 2008, told NBC Newshe remembers Hale as a third grader at the school in 2005 and a fourth grader in 2006. I'm very sad for her parents, because they losttheir child.". Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Kevin Wurm in Nashville; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh, Tyler Clifford, Rich McKay, Brad Brooks, Joseph Ax and Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Jonathan Allen and Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates, Texas man accused of killing five neighbors was deported four times, US may default June 1 without debt ceiling hike; Biden calls McCarthy to meet, Biden urges Republicans take debt default off table, warns interest rates would jump, American Airlines pilots authorize a strike mandate, Brazil police shoot dead 4 illegal gold miners on Yanomami reservation, Sudanese fleeing north face arduous crossing into Egypt, Kuwait again dissolves reinstated parliament by decree, British royals release photo of a beaming Princess Charlotte, Israeli attack puts Syria's Aleppo airport out of service, one soldier killed -state media. Within minutes, Nashville officers arrived at the scene and confronted Hale as the shooter was firing through a window at arriving police cars, per police. ", "One day this will make more sense," Hale wrote. Motive in Nashville shooting remains unclear weeks after 6 people were killed at a Christian school Authorities initially believed the shooter might hold resentment toward her former school but. Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality. NASHVILLE, Tenn. Audrey Hale struggled to cope with the death of a close friend in the months before the rampage that killed six people at a private Christian school, those who knew the school shooter said Wednesday. ", TennesseeSen. Marsha Blackburn said she was "heartbroken to hear about the shooting." No one else was wounded, Aaron said. It was really scary, really sad.. Battle praised the emergency response to the shooting and acknowledged the deep grief it's brought on for those affected. Nashville school shooting: What we know about the attack : NPR Drake said that Hale suffered from some type of emotional disorder although it is unknown exactly what. The personnel who were on duty at Station 20 on Monday were not on duty for the following 48 hours, Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant said. "Outstanding job @MNPDNashville,''the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Officers' Association said in a tweet. Grief-stricken Nashville residents came together for a vigil Wednesday to mourn three 9-year-old children and three adults killed in the mass shooting at a private Christian school. President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Police killed Hale at the scene. NASHVILLE, Tenn.The shooter who killed six people, including three children, at a Nashville elementary school Monday had detailed maps of the facility, considered another target and left behind writings that may shed light on a motive, authorities said. In 2020, guns overtook auto accidents as the leading cause of death among children and teens. Nashville school shooting updates: Slain head of school - ABC News Contributing: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY; Chris Gadd, Rachel Wegner, Kirsten Fiscus, and Craig Shoup,Nashville Tennessean; The Associated Press. The attacker, identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was a former student at The Covenant School who broke in Monday morning by shooting the glass from a door. Three 9-year-old children and three adults were killed Monday in a shooting at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, police said. The officers found the shooteron the second floor of the building that housesthe school and a Presbyterian church. She was so loving to everyone, and I think she might have just wanted to fit in, Hardcastle said. The remaining students were escorted out of the building with faculty and staff, and buses took them to asite where students were beingreunited with their parents, Loney said. But maybe theres something for the general public to understand behavioral-wise why they did this.. Metro Nashville Police Department released body camera video showing officers arriving at The Covenant School where six were killed. ", "We dont know all of the details of how or why this happened, and we may never fully know," Battle said. Do something,'" Patton said. "Arent you tired of this," she said, taking over the microphones after a news conference. Nashville Fire Department Station 20, a station that responded to the shooting, has 14 Thanksgiving Day cards in the station's windows that personnel said were brought last fall by Covenant School students, who often brought snacks and different treats. A couple prays at the memorial for the victims of the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. It's next door to a Nashville Fire Department stationand less than a mile south of Nashville's largest shopping district. Police initially identified the shooter as a female, but later said Hale was assigned female at birth and identified as a transgender man. Dr Shamendar Talwar, a social psychologist from the United Kingdom who is working on an unrelated mental health project in Nashville, raced to the church as soon as he heard news of the shooting to offer help. Entry was gained by shooting through a door, Drake said, adding that maps had been drawn of the school, including entry points, and he said, We have a manifesto, some writings that were going over.. Biden ordered the American flag at the White House to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. He added:"All of Tennessee was hurt yesterday, but some parents woke up without children, children woke up without parents and without teachers, and spouses woke up without their loved ones. The attack took place at The Covenant School, a private . ", As officers approached, Hale fired upon them from a second story window, MNPD said. "In this moment, we remember that we are one Nashville, regardless of our school affiliation.". One woman dropped to her knees as she laid a bouquet of flowers down, burying her head in her hands and wiping tears from her eyes. Bill Lee said he was "closely monitoring the tragic situation. "I've left behind more than enough evidence behind. gaining entry to the building by firing through the buildings locked glass doors, Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. April 19, 2023 / 10:02 AM / CBS/AP. We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie," Mark Davis, senior pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, said in a statement. "Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need.. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., whose district includesthe site ofMonday's mass shooting, received widespreadcriticism from gun control advocates for a Christmas photo he postedin 2021 of his family posing with guns. Officers responded "swiftly," entered the first floor and began clearing the area, he said. Hale was an illustrator and graphic designer who used he and him pronouns, according to a police spokesperson. "But I dont know if I could go off that two-minute interactionand say how she was feeling.. Drake said that Hale, who attended Covenant School, had "some history" with the school which may have played a role in the motive for Monday's shooting. Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. The 28-year-old who killed three children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville last week fired 152 rounds, Nashville police said Monday, adding that while they have yet to. Its important they attend to the basic comfort need, be present with their children.. Nashville police say Covenant shooter planned for months, acted alone The attacker in Monday's shooting purchased seven firearms legally and was under medical care for an unspecified "emotional disorder,''Drake said at a Tuesday news briefing. A shooter who killed three 9-year-old students and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville Monday had maps of the school, left behind writings and scouted a second. Discovery Company. The Zion community, mirroring the Covenant community, also houses a school, Zion Christian Academy, serving over 520 students in grades Pre-K-12. The scene was muted Tuesday morning, especially compared to the swarm of emergency vehicles and helicopters that descended upon the school just after 10 a.m. the day before. "Like many of you, Ive experienced tragedy in my own life, and Ive experienced the day after that tragedy. Nashville school shooting: Community comes together to mourn Police should release Hales writings when they can, he added, if only to put a spotlight on others who may be struggling and considering using violence. Officials with the FBI and special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The Covenant School students who died Monday were all 9 years old, andthe staff members were in their 60s. John Oliver Argues for Gun Control in Wake of Nashville School Mass Shooting: "Change Is Long Overdue". Enrollment fluctuates between 195 and 210. "My heart aches," she said. Floral tributes are left at a memorial outside the entrance to the Covenant School on Wednesday. A former student killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville on Monday, armed with two assault-style weapons and a handgun after elaborately planning the massacre by drawing a detailed map and conducting surveillance of the building, police said. Minutes later, the video cuts off. The 28-year-old who killed three children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville last week fired 152 rounds, Nashville police said Monday, adding that while they have yet to determine a motive, the shooter planned the attack over a period of months and studied other mass murderers. Erik Ortiz reported from Nashville and David K. Li from Los Angeles County. Mondays update on the investigation comes a week after Hale armed with three firearms, according to police stormed the Covenant School, gaining entry to the building by firing through the buildings locked glass doors. Published Follow the latest updates on the Covenant School shooting as they happen in our live blog here. Nashville school shooting suspect owned 7 legal guns, police say At 10:13 a.m., Hale fired the first shot inside the school. ':Woman who survived Highland Park shooting makes plea in Nashville. How do we stop the next one? "Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need.. Nashville Police Chief John Drake said he grew emotional as he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. My mother-in-law is the front-desk angel, McDonald said. It serves preschool through sixth graders and held an active shooter training program in 2022, WTVF-TV reported. We dont know if gender identity played a part, but theres a conversation to be had that speaks to societys continual rejection and conflict over ones identity that can lead to this disconnect and frustration, Dunton said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Jeff Syracuse, a Nashville councilman who chairs the public health and safety committee, said he has questioned some of the conflicting reports surrounding the investigation. And I know hes the kind of guy that would do that. When speaking to News 2, Drake didn't shy away from what he believes needs to be done to reduce these crimes. As her building was placed under lockdown, she took out her phone and recorded the chaos. Officers also found a sawed-off shotgun and a second shotgun at the home. Protesters gather inside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for an end to gun violence and support stronger gun laws after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., March 30 . But something bad is about to happen.". Police said Hale, who was assigned female at birth but identified as a man,bought the firearms betweenOctober 2020 and June 2022. ", First lady Jill Biden commented on the attackduring heropening remarks at a National League of Cities event in Washington. I think thats a mischaracterization, personally, Rausch said in another interview with Pray In Jesus Name News. A woman whose mother teaches at the school told reporters they texted as the attack took place. ", Adrienne Battle, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, said she was "grieving today over the tragic murder of children and school staff right here in our community," calling the killings an "unimaginable loss of life. IE 11 is not supported. This one hits close to home, Joiner said. At the Woodmont Christian Church, a box of tissues sat at the end of each pew as the solemn crowd began the long process of grieving for the victims. Police said Hale drove to the campus, parked and entered after shooting out the glass in a set of double doors. And while little is known publicly about the shooter's gender identity and whether it even played a role in the massacre, the disinformation surrounding transgender people has also left members of the LGBTQ community worried about their own safety amid a larger debate over LGBTQ rights. The threat was overby 10:27 a.m., police said. Most came from the body camera of officer Rex Engelbert. When . Drake praised the response time of responding officers during Monday's shooting, saying that by the time he arrived, officers were coming out bloody and assisting survivors. LATEST NEWS: Officers Engelbert, Collazo seen in body cam video hailed as heroes: Nashville school shooting live updates, 'IT WAS TRULY HORRIFIC':Nashville mourns after mass shooting. A news release identified the officers who made the fatal shots as Rex Englebert, a four-year MNPD veteran, and nine-year veteran Michael Collazo. Because a church operates the school, no Nashville police officers were assigned to the building, Aaron said. The White House later said the president spoke to Tennessee Gov. I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building, Drake said. Officers shot and killed the attacker at the Covenant school, which is attached to the Covenant Presbyterian church in the Tennessee state capital. Police received a call of an active shooter at 10:13 a.m., Aaron said. Metro Nashville police said Monday afternoon Hale fired 152 total rounds, 126 from a rifle and 26 nine millimeter rounds from a pistol they carried in mass shooting. The staffers wereKatherine Koonce, 60, identified on the Covenant website as "head of school"; substitute teacherCynthia Peak, 61;and custodian Mike Hill, 61. Britney, a pediatric surgeon, pulled out her phone and answered a few text messages sitting in her car. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities released intense police body camera footage Tuesday from a deadly shooting rampage at a local Christian elementary school that killed three . I was really impressed that with all that was going on, someone took control and said Lets go, lets go., Drake said at Tuesday's briefing. In an interview with CBS Mornings on Tuesday, Metro Nashville police chief John Drake said there were other targets, including a mall, outlined in materials obtained at Hale's residence following Monday's shooting. The Covenant school has about 209 students from pre-school through sixth grade and 42 staff members, Aaron said. President Joe Biden said he spoke with Drake and "thetwo officers that went in and saved the lives,'' and was working on reaching out to families of the victims. Drake said Hale was a former student at the school. Harold Love Jr. will speak at the event. Two officers opened fire a moment captured in bodycam footage later released by police and killed Hale at 10:27 a.m., 14 minutes after the shooter entered, according to Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron. Nashville shooter fired 152 rounds inside Covenant School, police say. People visit a makeshift memorial at the entrance of The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. mass shooting at a Nashville Christian school, called for federal law enforcement agencies, Officials find suicide note, journals, and weapons at Nashville shooter's home, school shooter fell into an emotional spiral, reported the CBS affiliate WTVF in Nashville, the disinformation surrounding transgender people, LGBTQ community worried about their own safety. Neither of the two officers who fired on the shooter, Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo, had been in a similar situation, MNPD chief John Drake said Tuesday. Last year saw 303 such incidents, the highest of any year in the database, which goes back to 1970. Police identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, all of them age 9, and Mike Hill, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Cynthia Peak, 61. Nashville school shooting news: Gov. Lee proposes new school safety "If you have the power to make change and instead sit back and remain complicit, do better.". Biden said he has already spoken to several officials including Tennessee's two U.S. There have been 89 school shootings defined as any incident in which a gun is discharged on school property in the U.S. in 2023, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, a website founded by researcher David Riedman. Drake said the attacker did not appear to be targeting anyone specifically at the school, where Halehad been a student. Hale used male pronouns on a LinkedIn page that listed recent jobs in graphic design and grocery delivery. By that time, unbeknownst to Patton, Hale had shattered glass doors and entered the Covenant School. Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released a list of items belonging to the shooter, including two shotguns, cellphones and laptops, as well as a suicide note, three folders and 19 journals. Addressing an early evening news conference, Drake said police were working on a theory about what may have precipitated the shooting and would "put that out as soon as we can." But Peak never arrived home on Monday. "The police department response was swift," Aaron said. First lady. President Joe Biden referred to the shooting as a "sick'' act and reiterated his call for Congress to ban assault weapons. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be. A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night at Public Square Park to honor the victims of Monday's shooting. Hale, armed with multiple firearms, including an AR-style rifle, shootsthrough glass doors to enter the building. Dieckhaus was a third grader at the Covenant School and her sister, a fifth grader, is a member of the disciples class at the church. Its really unfortunate mental health issues that you can see as you read through the journals., While were starting to see a picture come together, Ill tell you its not close to anything that people are subjugating out there and exposing their opinions on, Rausch added. A couple hundred people attended the vigil. We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie," Mark Davis, senior pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, said in a statement. The school is on the campus of Covenant Presbyterian Church in the city's Green Hills neighborhood, about 9 miles southeast of downtown Nashville. Nashville shooter who killed 6 drew maps, surveilled school. The Covenant School is a private school founded in 2001 that serves students inpre-kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website. We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place., Draketold NBC News that Hale might have had"some resentment for having to go to that school.". 'There is no universal school safety solution.' The Woodmont Christian Church will be organizing a fund for the affected families as a way to help with counseling costs. This is another PCA church school just up the road. As a pediatric surgeon, my first thought was, if I had still been there, could I have rendered immediate aid to these victims, Grayson said. So the front door is actually on the side of the building. Two of the victims were school. VANDY:What Vanderbilt's Clark Lea said about Nashville Covenant School shooting. 1:36 Police in Nashville say three adults and three students were killed in a shooting at a private Christian school on Monday. "We're sure that they heard the chaos thatwas surrounding this," she said. Two of the five officers on the floor opened fire on the shooter and killed Haleby 10:27 a.m., Aaronsaid. Drake confirmed that law enforcement were previously unaware of Hale or about his treatment. The chief said the suspect identified as transgender but provided no further clarity. At the same time staff at Woodmont Baptist Church saw the news of the shooting, they learned they were going to also serve as the reunification site. Police also said . The intrudergunned down three young students and three staff members before being confronted and killed by police, Metro Nashville Police DepartmentChiefJohn Drake said. We will respond with resilience to these events, but we are called to be a little more intentional and specific in how we cope with them, Gorter said. You can only explain what you know. Nashville police wouldnt confirm the contents of the journal writings, and a department spokeswoman said they remain under review and the motive is yet to be determined..
