Ava escaped . "Arent you tired of this," she said, taking over the microphones after a news conference. Around 9 a.m. Tuesday, a makeshift memorial was set up at the main drive that leads to Covenant School, which was otherwise blocked off by police. "We think (Monday's shooting) was targeted and planned," Drake said. "I was really impressed that with all that was going on, the danger, that somebody took control and said, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go,' and went in and just tried to end this situation,''Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Harold Love Jr. will speak at the event. 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 officers found the shooteron the second floor of the building that housesthe school and a Presbyterian church. 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. "You vote against every common sense gun control bill that comes across your desk, you've taken over $1 million from the NRA and you rank 14th in all Congress for NRA contributions. "I've left behind more than enough evidence behind. The Zion community, mirroring the Covenant community, also houses a school, Zion Christian Academy, serving over 520 students in grades Pre-K-12. 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. 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. Covenant School community seeks prayer in wake of deadly mass shooting, How to help those affected by the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, What Vanderbilt's Clark Lea said about Nashville Covenant School shooting, Nashville police moved fast, saved lives in Covenant shooting, experts say, Channel 4 reporter 'immediately was taken back' to school shooting she witnessed in 2010, At the same time staff at Woodmont Baptist Church. Nashville shooter messaged former teammate before attack, three 9-year-olds, a school administrator, a custodian and a substitute teacher, Full bodycam: Nashville police encounter school shooter. Police response to mass casualty incidents are increasingly under scrutiny after a shooter killed 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas while officers stood outside. 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. "Officers entered the first story of the school and begin clearing it. The heavily armed shooter accused of killing six people at a Nashville Christian school left behind writings and a map outlining motives for the attack, authorities said Monday. ', First lady Jill Biden also addressed the shooting, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Zion Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor Paul Joiner, who spoke slowly, deliberately and somberly, said many of church members were close to fellow congregants at Covenant Presbyterian Church "up the road." 'OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER':First lady Jill Biden responds to Nashville mass shooting. Bill Lee said he was "closely monitoring the tragic situation. Hale, armed with multiple firearms, including an AR-style rifle, shootsthrough glass doors to enter the building. Goodbye Mike, Im going to miss those encouraging texts out of the blue from you.". "Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need.. On a given day, slightly over 200students and 42 staff members are at the school, Aaron said. NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 27 (Reuters) - A heavily armed 28-year-old fatally shot three children and three adult staffers on Monday at a private Christian school the suspect once attended in. Investigators with the police department and the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit continue to review writings left behind by Hale, which police said Monday contain documentation of Hales planning. Biden believes recent legislative actions have not been enough. We have become aware of the reality that we spend most of our lives wanting to deny, that this world is not safe. Britney Grayson was moments away from the shooting Monday. Is the clue in her writings and ramblings how to stop it? ", "We dont know all of the details of how or why this happened, and we may never fully know," Battle said. Bill Lee and Nashville Mayor John Cooper about the shooting. More notably, he was "Big Mike" to his students, who will surely feel his loss in the years to come," Anne Puricelli, the page organizer, wrote on the fundraiser page. "It's ripping our communities apart ripping at the very soul of our nation. 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. ", "One day this will make more sense," Hale wrote. 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. The shooter wore a black vest over a white T-shirt, camouflage pants and a backwards red baseball cap. 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 helpline recommended that Patton call police, which she did. When I heard the news on April 3, my first thought was of the traffic. 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. First pitch is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hawkins Field, and tickets are $5. "Like many of you, Ive experienced tragedy in my own life, and Ive experienced the day after that tragedy. "I was literally moved to tears to see this as the kids were being ushered out of the building," Drake said during a news briefing. My uncle lost his life in this shooting today, she wrote. Hallie Scruggs was a student at the Covenant School. Hallie Scruggs was a student at the Covenant School. "We stand, all of us, with Nashville in prayer.". Emergency vehicles and helicopters swarmed the Green Hills neighborhood, which is home to several schools, a string of businesses and residential neighborhoods. And I know hes the kind of guy that would do that. Woman who survived Highland Park shooting makes plea in Nashville, First lady Jill Biden responds to Nashville mass shooting, wounded two faculty members at a high school in Denver, Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006, the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, shared through tears a story of Evelyn Dieckhaus, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The shooter, identified as former student Audrey Hale, acted totally alone, Metro Nashville Police said in the Monday update. Aaron said there were no police personnel assigned to the school. Follow the latest updates on the Covenant School shooting as they happen in our live blog here. Folks just need to be patient., He added that he has concerns about releasing the writings out of fear that someone else with a mental illness picks it up and uses it as a plan. In a subsequent NBC News television interview, Drake said investigators believed the shooting stemmed from "some resentment" the suspect harbored "for having to go to that school" as a younger person. A federal law enforcement source verified to NBC News that no direct motive has been established in the investigation and suggested that the driving force of the attack was similar to previous school shootings in which the assailant was drawn to other mass killers. Officers approached Hale, who was laying on the ground next to a wide window overlooking the parking lot. Police said they were Evelyn . The shooter had planned the attack for months, according to those journals, which police said were located in the attackers car and bedroom. "These brave officers ran toward the gunfire and eliminated the threat as they are trained to do.''. The website counts any instance when a firearm is fired or pointed at someone in a school, or when a bullet hits school property. Bill Lee said he is monitoring the situation closely and asked for the public to "join us in praying for the school, congregation and Nashville community. As Englebert moved to the second floor, eight gunshots can be heard down the hallway. NASHVILLE - Hundreds gathered Wednesday night for the citywide . Hale also said in the messages to Patton that a March 13 Instagram post was actually a suicide note. Three children and two adults were takento Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds, and all fivewere pronounced dead there, said Craig Boerner, spokesperson forVanderbilt University Medical Center. "I've seen too many of these myself," Biden said. Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. Three children and three adult staff members were slain at a Nashville school Monday in one of Tennessee's deadliest school shootings. Hale was an illustrator and graphic designer who used he and him pronouns, according to a police spokesperson. "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. 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. It's not logical," said the woman, who asked not to be named out of fear of online reprisals. Kendra Loney, a spokesperson with Metro Fire, said rescue crews responded and tried to save lives. The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, along with staffers Mike Hill, 61, a school custodian, Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, and Katherine Koonce, 60, listed on the Covenant website as "head of school.". "We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.". 2023 www.tennessean.com. Armed with two AR-style weapons one a rifle, the other a pistol along with a handgun,Hale is seen shooting into glass doors to enter the building. She recalled Hale as dressing in a "quirky, 90s style" and seeming "nice and quiet." Police initially identified the shooter as a female, but later said Hale was assigned female at birth and identified as a transgender man. One police officer had a hand injury from cut glass, Loney and Aaron said. I was hoping this day would never, ever come here in the city, Drake said Monday, but we would never wait to make entry and go in and stop a threat, especially when it deals with our children.. During one call, made at 10:13 a.m., a woman in an art room closet inside . Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Everyone was kind to her, because they knew she might have been on the spectrum, and she was so kind, so people reciprocated that energy to her.. He said some children evacuated to a wood line behind the school, while some went to a fire hall. My mother-in-law is the front-desk angel, McDonald said. He commended MNPD's swift response, and called for Congress to take action to pass a ban on assault weapons. NASHVILLE A 28-year-old from Nashville fatally shot three children and three adults on Monday at a private Christian elementary school, officials said, leaving behind writings and detailed. Britney, a pediatric surgeon, pulled out her phone and answered a few text messages sitting in her car. ': mother pleads for action after Nashville school shooting video. 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. The attack was the nation's 130th mass shooting of 2023, according toGun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun violence data. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be. And right now, its real.From her office nearby, Kelly Stooksberry could see parents rushing to park their cars on the side of the road before sprinting to locate their children. According to Drake, Hale appeared to have some training to shoot from a higher level, and knew to stand away from the glass so (he) wouldnt be an easy target., 'A WAKE UP CALL':Channel 4 reporter 'immediately was taken back' to school shooting she witnessed in 2010. "It's sick," Biden said, addressing the issue during an event at the White House and urging Congress again to pass a ban on assault-style weapons. The intruder was in a "lobby-type area," not a classroom, Aaron said. "I pray God keeps and covers you. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night at Public Square Park to honor the victims of Monday's shooting. Last May, in Uvalde, Texas, 19 children and two teachers were killed at an elementary school. "Our high school was really accepting of that.". Senior minister Clay Stauffer shared through tears a story of Evelyn Dieckhaus at the end of the service. 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. Three children and three adults have been killed in a shooting by an ex-student at a school in the US city of Nashville, Tennessee. He praised the quickness of the police response. follow our coverage from Tuesday, March 28 here. U.S. Hebrought three to the school Monday, one of them an AR-style rifle. As he ascends the stairs to the second floor, an officer ahead of him looks left out. Hale pulls into the parking lot at the school, approaches a door shooting out the glass and then patrols the halls with gun raised. The threat was overby 10:27 a.m., police said. Read more here. A couple prays at the memorial for the victims of the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. The potential release of the journals has become a point of friction in the case: While local investigators said they are continuing to analyze the writings with assistance from the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia, some in the community said the writings must be made public without delay to help people understand the carnage and Hales state of mind. But Eads said that, if it were up to him, he would make the writings public. "I have done the full extent of my executive authority, to do anything about guns," he said. "As Christians I think were always ready to help play our part in bringing back that which has been not unified to unification," Pastor Nathan Parker told The Tennessean. While police are still working to determine a motive for the attack, they said in a news release that writings left behind by Hale make clear that it was calculated and planned. Hale targeted the school and Covenant Presbyterian Church, to which the school is attached, police said, but its believed the victims were fired upon at random. One of Hale's former instructors at the Nossi College of Art & Design, Maria Colomy, said Sims' death took a great emotional toll on her former student. 0:00. Thats the way we do that in the south. Last year saw 303 such incidents, the highest of any year in the database, which goes back to 1970. Officers also found a sawed-off shotgun and a second shotgun at the home. Contributing:Trevor Hughes,Grace Hauck,and Natalie Neysa Alund,USA TODAY; Melissa Brown, Rachel Wegner, Kirsten Fiscus, andCraig Shoup,Nashville Tennessean, Police body camera shows officers searching for Nashville school shooter. She was outside the school and she heard gunshots., Drake said: It could have been far, far worse.. Nicole Hester/USA Today Network via REUTERS. Authorities initially believed the shooter might hold resentment toward her former school but they have not provided any details to publicly back up that theory. Those officers made entry into the school and ultimately shot and killed Hale. Who are the Nashville officers who killed the Covenant School shooting suspect? "I would say that under extreme circumstances, they went above and beyond," said McGhee, who trains defense tactics and gun safety. What is The Covenant School in Nashville? Victims of The Covenant School shooting mourned at vigil in Nashville. 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. The sense of safety inside the Covenant School in Nashville was shattered Monday when a former student burst into the private Christian school wielding an assault-style rifle and killed three. The Tuesday night prayer vigil in Mt. Nashville Mayor John Cooper expressed sympathy for the victims and wrote on social media that his city "joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting.". 2. Hardcastle, a middle school art teacher, last ran into Hale a month ago in downtown Nashville at a show by their mutual friend and radio personality Averianna Patton. Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality. The Covenant School is a private school founded in 2001 that serves students inpre-kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website. "Outstanding job @MNPDNashville,''the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Officers' Association said in a tweet. Balloons, stuffed animals, notes and candles also lined the wall. At least one of those was described by police as a "sawed-off shotgun," some of which can be. Audrey Hale sent direct messages from The Covenant School parking lot to a former middle school basketball teammate minutes before Monday's shooting. All Rights Reserved. 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. I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building, Drake said. Bill Lee said in a recorded address Tuesday night, his first extended comments on the shooting. After the shooting,Drake said officers seized written material anda map describing how the assault would unfold, as well as a plan to shoot up a different Nashville school apparentlyscrapped because of too much security., We have some writings that we are going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident, Drake said at a news conference Mondayafternoon. She encouraged people to seek help or support if they need it, and to extend it to others. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 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. The sixth victim was not taken to the hospital, police spokesman Don Aaron said. He wrote on Twitter:"In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting. He also said Hale identified as transgender. "In this moment, we remember that we are one Nashville, regardless of our school affiliation.". 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? "We will continue to confront our grief. Evil is very real. Drake said the school had an active shooter protocol. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will assist the Metro Nashville Police Department in the investigation, said TBI Director David Rausch. Im just in shock and disbelief, wrote Hill. VANDY:What Vanderbilt's Clark Lea said about Nashville Covenant School shooting. Hale, who police said was under care for an emotional disorder, had legally purchased seven firearms and hidden them at home, per Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake. Averianna Patton told The Tennessean on Tuesday that she received messages from Hale at 9:57 a.m. while on Covenant School property, apologizing and stating that Hale wanted to die. Read more here. A former student shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school Monday and killed three children and three adults after elaborately planning the massacre by drawing out a detailed map and conducting surveillance of the building, police said. Nine states have banned them. Minutes later, the video cuts off. Drake said that had it been reported to police that Hale was suicidal, MNPD would have intervened. Hale's parents believed that due to Hale's emotional state, Hale should not have owned weapons. When speaking to News 2, Drake didn't shy away from what he believes needs to be done to reduce these crimes. Mitchell, a student board member, urged lawmakers and other government officials for action. Don Aaron, a spokesperson for MNPD, said Hale was believed to have entered a side entrance around 10:13 a.m. Monday with two assault rifles and a handgun. The intrudergunned down three young students and three staff members before being confronted and killed by police, Metro Nashville Police DepartmentChiefJohn Drake said. The high school version of Hale showed no signs of resentment of anyone, Hardcastle said. My heart is broken I do not understand why someone would shoot up a school with precious babies inside. "As it turns out, she had been hiding several weapons within the house,'' Drake said, adding that law enforcement was not aware of Hale before the shooting. A Warner Bros. "What happened at Covenant School was a tragedy beyond comprehension," Tennessee Gov. Patton called the Suicide Prevention Helpline minutes after reading the messages. But Peak never arrived home on Monday. 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.. A few people trickled in to lay flowers against the stone wall where the memorial was set up. He said he was one of several chaplains, psychologists, life coaches and clergy inside supporting the families. David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said authorities sent heartfelt prayers to the families of these victims. It's next door to a Nashville Fire Department stationand less than a mile south of Nashville's largest shopping district. All you can show is that basically that we are all here together and hold their hand more than anything else, he said. We believe in prayer and we believe in the power of prayer. They immediately went to the gunfire.". When . "We have to do more to stop gun violence. Its ripping the soul from this nation.. Editor's note: For the latest news on the Nashville school shooting, follow our coverage from Tuesday, March 28 here. Audrey Hale legally bought seven weapons from five different gun stores, three of which were used yesterday during Monday's shooting, Metro police chief John Drake said during a Tuesday press briefing. The attack marks the 89th shooting on K-12 school grounds in 2023, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. The chief said the suspect identified as transgender but provided no further clarity. Authorities said Hale identified as a transgender person and was assigned female at birth, according to court records. 'There is no universal school safety solution.' The Predators released a statement earlier Tuesday, saying, "As Middle Tennessee grieves today, we move forward with heavy hearts in preparation for our game against the Boston Bruins this evening. ", As officers approached, Hale fired upon them from a second story window, MNPD said. The Covenant School is a private school founded in 2001 that serves students inpre-kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website. Drake said Hale was a former student at the school. '", Contributing: Cassandra Stephenson,Nashville Tennessean. The video ends with the confrontation in an upstairs lobby area, when several shots were fired at the attacker, who fell amid shouts of "Stop moving," "Suspect down," and, "Get your hand away from the gun.". Police killed Hale at the scene. The shooter, Aaron said entered on the lower floor. About the four-minute mark, the video cuts to Collazo's body camera. After the talk, they left the school. "What happened at Covenant School was a tragedy beyond comprehension," Gov. Police have recovered Hale's cell phone and will conduct analysis, Metro Police spokesperson Don Aaron said Tuesday. Authorities were speaking to the shooters father, he added. The Covenant School, founded in 2001, is a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville with about 200 students, according to the school's website.
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