A former student of a private Christian school ( Covenant school ) in Nashville ( a city in the United States ), Tennessee opened fire in which Three children and three members of staff were killed on Monday, 27th March’2023.
The suspect was shot dead by the police later leaving multiple victims.
Nashville school shooting
The shooter has been identified by the city’s chief of police ( John Drake ) as Audrey Hale. He is a 28-year-old Nashville resident and a former student of the same school, who identified as transgender.
Audrey Hale had no previous criminal records before opening fire inside The Covenant School. According to reports, Hale graduated from Nossi College of Art with a degree in illustration and graphic design in 2022.
Audrey Hale left behind a manifesto, the police said that had maps of the Covenant School that featured entry-exit points and CCTV camera units.
The police said Audrey Hale “was prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement”. The manifesto indicates that the school was only one among multiple locations where Hale had plans for mass shootings.
Audrey Hale entered the Covenant School with at least two assault rifles and a handgun. Hale entered the school through a side entrance, fired multiple shots while advancing through the building, before being shot down by the police.
The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
The attack at The Covenant School — which has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members — comes as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence, including the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year; a first grader who shot his teacher in Virginia; and a shooting last week in Denver that wounded two administrators.
The Covenant School was founded as a Ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The affluent Green Hills neighbourhood just south of downtown Nashville, where the Covenant School is located, is home to the famed Bluebird Café – a beloved spot for musicians and song writers.
US President Joe Biden’s message for Nashville school shooting
President Joe Biden, speaking at an unrelated event at the White House on March 27, called the shooting a “family’s worst nightmare” and implored Congress again to pass a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons.
“It’s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation,” Mr. Biden said.
Before Monday’s violence in Nashville, there had been seven mass killings at K-12 schools since 2006 in which four or more people were killed within a 24-hour period, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. In all of them, the shooters were males.
The database does not include school shootings in which fewer than four people were killed, which have become far more common in recent years. Just last week alone, for example, school shootings happened in Denver and the Dallas-area within two days of each other.
Monday’s tragedy unfolded over roughly 14 minutes. Police received the initial call about an active shooter at 10:13 a.m.
Officers began clearing the first story of the school when they heard gunshots coming from the second level, Mr. Aaron said during a news briefing.
Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response, fatally shooting the suspect at 10:27 a.m., Mr. Aaron ( Police’s spokesperson ) said. One officer had a hand wound from cut glass.
Mr. Aaron said there were no police officers present or assigned to the school at the time of the shooting because it is a church-run school.
Other students walked to safety on Monday, holding hands as they left their school surrounded by police cars, to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents.
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. He said he was one of several chaplains, psychologists, life coaches and clergy inside supporting the families.
Nashville has seen its share of mass violence in recent years, including a Christmas Day 2020 attack where a recreational vehicle was intentionally detonated in the heart of Music City’s historic downtown, killing the bomber, injuring three others and forcing more than 60 businesses to close.
Tennessee state senators met for about 12 minutes on Monday after agreeing to delay taking up any bills due to the shooting. The session started off with an emotional prayer from the guest pastor.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I wrote down a prayer today and I quickly realised that I cannot,” said Pastor Russell Hall, with his voice trembling. “I stand before you today heartbroken.”
Police say they were all targeted at random.
Katherine Koonce is described on Covenant’s website as the Head of School. One parent told BBC News that Ms Koonce was a “saint”.
“She knew every single student by name,” she added. “She did everything to help them when families couldn’t afford things, it didn’t matter. She found ways for them to stay.”
A welcoming page on the school’s website written by Ms Koonce says the school is “about more than simply educating our students”.
She said the school’s mission was “helping children become who God intends them to be”.
Follow read4knowledge for more updates.