Covenant School shooting: Shooter purchased 7 weapons at five different stores, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A shooter is dead after six people — three students and three school staff members — were killed at a private Christian grade school in Nashville, authorities said.

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The shooter was identified by police as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, from Nashville, The Associated Press reported. Police said officers shot and killed Hale as shots were being fired in a lobby-like area on the second floor of The Covenant School. The school has about 40 staff members and just under 210 students enrolled in preschool through sixth grade, according to officials.

NHL’s Predators, Bruins pay tribute to victims

Update 10:56 p.m. EDT March 28: The NHL’s Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins paid tribute to the victims of The Covenant School shooting before Tuesday night’s game at TD Garden in Boston, The Tennessean reported.

The Predators released a statement ahead of the game, explaining that the team is moving forward with “heavy hearts.” The team added that Charlie Jacobs, the Bruins’ CEO, donated to the Caring for Covenant Fund. Both teams’ helmets featured custom decals with the Covenant School logo.

TD Garden also held a moment of silence to remember the six victims before the puck was dropped.

The Predators defeated the Bruins, 2-1.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Family of 9-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus releases statement

Update 5:24 p.m. EDT March 28: The family of Evelyn Dieckhaus released a statement, a day after the 9-year-old was one of six people -- and three children -- killed at The Covenant School in Nashville.

The family noted that they were heartbroken and “cannot believe” what had happened, WZTV reported.

“Our hearts are completely broken. We cannot believe this has happened,” the family said, according to the statement. “Evelyn was a shining light in this world. We appreciate all the love and support but ask for space as we grieve.”

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Police chief: Shooter had ‘emotional disorder’

Update 1:28 p.m. EDT March 28: Nashville Police Chief John Drake said in a news conference Tuesday that the shooter in Monday’s attack had purchased seven weapons at five different firearms stores in the Nashville area.

Hale had three weapons during the attack at the Covenant School. Drake said that Hale’s parents did not believe Hale had a gun at home, but apparently, guns had been hidden at the home.

“As it turned out she had been hiding weapons in the house. We do not have a motive at this time, the students were randomly targeted.”

Drake also reported that Hale was being treated for “an emotional disorder,” though he did not elaborate on what disorder Hale was being treated for. He added that the police force “knew nothing” about the treatment but that “her parents felt she should not own weapons.”

Drake said of Hale’s parents, “They lost a child yesterday, too.”

He confirmed that Hale had a “manifesto” that included drawings of the school and church. She was a student at that church “at one point,” Drake said.

He said that the bodies of the victims were in different locations around the building. He said Hale met Katherine Koonce, the director of the school, in the hallway near the school’s office and shot her. He said Koonce appeared to be moving toward Hale when she was shot.

The school’s custodian, Mike Hill, was shot through the glass of a door, Drake said.

Police spokesperson Don Aaron said there was no evidence that specific people were targeted in the attack, but the facility appears to have been.

“This school, this church building, was a target of the shooter, but we have no information at present to indicate that the shooter was specifically targeting any one of the six individuals who were murdered,” Aaron said.

-- Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Body camera video released

Update 10:20 a.m. EDT March 28: Metro Nashville Police on Tuesday released the body camera footage of Monday’s shooting, WKRN reported. The video, which was also viewed by Cox Media Group National Content Desk, will be disturbing to viewers.

In it, you can hear alarms blaring as police entered the building, go classroom to classroom and through the halls looking for Hale.

After Officer Rex Englebert runs up the stairs to the school’s second floor, you can hear shots ring out, getting louder as he runs through the hallways. After several more shots, you can see Hale on the ground, as officers yell commands, first what sounds like “fall back” and then “get your hand away from the gun” twice.

The video then changes to the point of view of another officer, Michael Collazo who entered the building and immediately ran to the second floor where he and other officers found a locked door. He then returned to the first floor, running through the hallways of the school to find a way to the second floor.

Collazo, a 9-year veteran of the force, and Englebert, a 4-year-veteran, are the officers who took down Hale, Fox News reported.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper praised police for the response to the shooting, CNN reported. Five members of metro police initially responded after the first call at 10:13. By 10:27 a.m., the officers cornered the shooter, with two opening fire, killing Hale.

Cooper told CNN, “This is our worst day, but it could have been worse without this brave response.”

-- Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Shooter was former student

Update 7:06 a.m. EDT March 28: Police said that the shooter was a former student of The Covenant School, the AP reported. Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake told NBC News that investigators believe that Hale had “some resentment for having to go to that school.”

-- Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Police unclear about shooter’s gender

Update 11:45 p.m. EDT March 27: According to The Associated Press, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department gave unclear information about the gender of the shooter.

At first, police identified the shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a 28-year-old woman. At a late afternoon news conference, police Chief John Drake said the shooter was transgendered and identified as a male.

After the news conference, police spokesperson Don Aaron declined to say how Hale most recently identified, the AP reported.

Police released a video of Hale pulling into the parking lot of the school, then using a weapon to shoot through the locked doors. The video, which did not show any of the children or staff members, did show Hale walking through the halls of the school while carrying a weapon.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Biden orders flags flown at half-staff

Update 11:04 p.m. EDT March 27: President Joe Biden ordered the flags at the White House and all federal buildings be flown at half-staff in memory of the victims killed at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to the White House, the order will remain in effect until Friday.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Police release more photos

Update 9:01 p.m. EDT March 27: The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released new photos from Monday’s scene at The Covenant School. Among the photographs was a shot of the vehicle driven by the shooter, a Honda Fit that belonged to Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, of Nashville.

Police also released photographs of the side door by which Hale gained entrance to the Christian private school. They also released photographs of the area on the second floor where Hale fired at officers.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Head of The Covenant Academy was one of victims

Update 6:53 p.m. EDT March 27: Katherine Koonce, one of the six people fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville, was the head of the school, according to its website.

According to the school’s website, Koonce, 60, received her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1985. She earned her master’s degree in education from Georgia State University in 1995 and was awarded a doctorate in education at Trevecca Nazarene University, a Christian university located in Nashville, in 2015.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Koonce had been the head of The Covenant School since July 2016.

Before that, she worked for nearly 15 years at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville. She was the academic dean at the school from 2009 to 2016; before that, she was the school’s director of learning services for almost nine years.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Shooter was illustrator, graphic designer

Update 6:20 p.m. EDT March 27: Audrey Hale, identified as the assailant in the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, was an illustrator and graphic designer, The Tennessean reported.

According to the shooter’s LinkedIn profile, Hale attended Nossi College of Art in Nashville from 2018 to 2022, the newspaper reported.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Shooter had ‘manifesto,’ police say

Update 5:40 p.m. EDT March 27: Audrey Elizabeth Hale, identified as the assailant in Monday’s mass shooting at The Covenant School, had a manifesto, according to Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake.

“We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date,” the police chief said during a news conference.

Drake added that detectives have interviewed Hale’s father.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Shooter identified, was former student at school

Update 5:27 p.m. EDT March 27: During a news conference, Nashville police identified the shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, a Nashville resident who identified as being transgender.

Police identified the shooter by his name at birth and did not provide another name, The Tennessean reported. Hale was a transgender man who used male pronouns, police said.

Police said that Hale had detailed maps of the school and entered the building on the lower floor by shooting through a door.

The shooter was fatally shot on an upper floor of the school, police said.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said that Hale was a former student at the school but was unsure when she attended.

Hale had at least two assault-style weapons -- a rifle and a pistol -- and a handgun, according to police.

“We know there were two AR-style weapons. One a rifle, another was an AR-style pistol and the other was a handgun,” Drake said. “We believe two of those may have been obtained legally, locally here.”

Nashville Mayor John Cooper called the shooting at The Covenant School “the worst day.”

“I am overwhelmed by the loss of these families,” Cooper said. “Guns are quick, they don’t give you much time.

“And those guns stole precious lives in Nashville.”

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Nashville police identify victims

Update 5:06 p.m. EDT March 27: The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the victims in Monday’s mass shooting at The Covenant School. All three children were 9 years old.

Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney were the students killed, police said. The adults killed were Cynthia Peak, 61, believed to be a substitute teacher; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61, a custodian at the school.

Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, The New York Times reported, citing a biography published online by his former church in Dallas.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

First lady Jill Biden: ‘We stand with Nashville in prayer’

Update 4 p.m. EDT March 27: First lady Jill Biden addressed Monday’s deadly shooting at The Covenant School while speaking at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington.

“I am truly without words, and our children deserve better,” the first lady said. “We stand, all of us, we stand with Nashville in prayer.”

Authorities continue to investigate the deadly shooting, which left three children and three school staff members dead.

Suspected shooter was a former student at The Covenant School

Update 3:30 p.m. EDT March 27: The shooter who killed three students and three staff members Monday at The Covenant School in Nashville used to attend the private Christian school, Police Chief John Drake said.

The shooter, a 28-year-old white woman whose name has not been released, died after she was confronted by officers on the second floor of the school before 10:30 a.m. Police said two officers shot at her as she was firing a weapon, killing her.

“From my initial findings ... at one point, she was a student at that school,” Drake said at a news conference Monday afternoon. He said police were still investigating to determine when she allegedly attended the school.

Police said the woman entered the building through a side door and made her way through the first floor to the second, firing shots along the way. Drake said that authorities believe all the school doors were locked before the shooting and officers are investigating to determine how the woman got in.

The woman lived in the Nashville area.

“There is a vehicle that was nearby that gave us clues as to who she was, but ... that investigation (is) ongoing,” the police chief said.

Photos: See scenes following Monday’s shooting

Update 3:25 p.m. EDT March 27: Photos show parents kissing their children and students holding hands after the deadly shooting Monday at The Covenant School.

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The Covenant School A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Amis) (JOHN AMIS/AP)

Biden: ‘It’s about time that we began to make some more progress’ on assault weapons ban

Update 3 p.m. EDT March 27: President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass a proposed assault weapons ban following the deadly shooting Monday at The Covenant School.

Addressing a crowd gathered at the White House for the Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Summit, the president praised quick-acting police for their response to the shooting.

“It’s just — it’s sick. You know, we’re still gathering the facts of what happened and why, and we do know that as of now there are a number of people who … did not make it, including children,” Biden said. “It’s heartbreaking. A family’s worst nightmare.”

Six people — including three children — died after a woman opened fire at The Covenant School before 10:15 a.m. on Monday, police said. At the time of the shooting, authorities said the woman had two “assault-type rifles and a handgun.”

“So I call on Congress again to pass my assault weapons ban,” Biden said. “It’s about time that we began to make some more progress.”

Tennessee governor asks for prayers after shooting

Update 2:40 p.m. EDT March 27: Gov. Bill Lee asked for people to pray as he continued to monitor the situation in Nashville.

“I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant,” Lee said in a social media post. “As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community.”

Biden calls on Congress to act following Nashville school shooting

Update 2:35 p.m. EDT March 27: President Joe Biden on Monday urged Congress to take action on gun safety legislation following the deadly shooting at The Covenant School.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was briefed on the situation on Monday and that officials are in contact with the Justice Department and local authorities.

“While we don’t know yet all the details in this latest tragic shooting, we know that too often our schools and communities are being devastated by gun violence. Schools should be safe spaces for our kids to learn and grow and for our educators to teach,” Jean-Pierre said at a news briefing.

“We must do more and (Biden) wants Congress to act because enough is enough. ... We need to do something.”

28-year-old woman identified as school shooter

Update 2:05 p.m. EDT March 27: Police identified the person who shot and killed six people Monday at The Covenant School as a 28-year-old Nashville woman.

Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name. It was not clear whether she had connections to the private grade school.

The woman died when two police shot at her as she was firing bullets on the second floor of The Covenant School, Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department said.

Earlier, Aaron said the woman appeared to be in her teens, although he cautioned that police were still working to identify her.

1 police officer injured while responding to shooting

Update 1:55 p.m. EDT March 27: A police officer was wounded by cut glass while responding to the shooting Monday at The Covenant School, officials said.

Kendra Loney of the Nashville Fire Department said the officer suffered “a hand injury as a result of making an attack on this incident.”

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities said three adults, identified as school staff members, and three children who attended the school were killed in the shooting. Don Aaron, of the Metro Nashville Police Department, said the school typically had about 210 students and just over 40 staff members inside.

Fire officials tried to shield kids ‘from seeing exactly what was going on’ after shooting

Update 1:45 p.m. EDT March 27: Kendra Loney of the Nashville Fire Department said mental health specialists would be available for students and families following the deadly shooting at The Covenant School.

Loney said fire officials swept the building looking for survivors on Monday morning. They transported three children and two adults from the scene.

“All of the remaining students were able to be escorted out of the building with faculty and staff,” Loney said. “We’re not sure about the processes that they had in place, but we were on scene to help them mitigate anyone from seeing exactly what else was going on, but we’re sure that they heard the chaos that was surrounding this.”

Fire officials set up a reunification center for students and their families. They said they transported more than 100 students and staff members to the center.

Authorities working to identify female shooter, 6 victims

Update 1:40 p.m. EDT March 27: Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department said authorities were working to identify the shooter and the six people killed at The Covenant School on Monday.

The shooter got into the school through a side entrance and fired several shots as she moved from the first to the second floor, Aaron said. She was confronted by five police officers as she was firing shots on the second floor, he said. Two of the officers opened fire, killing her.

“She appears to be in her teens, although her identification has not been confirmed at this juncture,” Aaron said at a news conference. “We know that she was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun.”

Fire officials transported three children and two adults from the scene of the shooting, though all were later pronounced dead.

Police: 3 children, 3 adults killed in shooting

Update 1:25 p.m. EDT March 27: Police confirmed at a news conference Monday that three children and three adults died in the shooting Monday at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Authorities responded to reports of a shooting around 10:15 a.m. and heard gunshots as they were clearing the school’s first floor. They went to the second floor, where they found a female firing shots, officials said.

The female appeared to be in her teens, although authorities said they had yet to confirm her identity. She was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun, police said.

‘There is no current threat to public safety,’ police say

Update 1:20 p.m. EDT March 27: Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that police have found “there is no current threat to public safety” following the deadly shooting at The Covenant School.

2 adults also killed in shooting, reports say

Update 1:15 p.m. EDT March 27: Authorities told WKRN-TV and The Tennessean that two adults have died in Monday’s shooting. Earlier, officials confirmed three children had been killed.

The adults, who were not immediately identified, were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, WKRN reported.

Police said the shooter also died Monday morning.

ATF responds to Nashville school shooting

Update 1 p.m. EDT March 27: Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting the Metro Nashville Police Department following a deadly shooting at The Covenant School.

Police are expected to share more information about the shooting later Monday.

Hospital confirms 3 kids dead in shooting

Update 12:50 p.m. EDT March 27: In a statement released Monday, John Hoswer, chief communications officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said three children were taken to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds following the shooting at The Covenant School.

“All three were pronounced dead after arrival,” he said.

Police earlier said they engaged the shooter, who has since died. It was not immediately clear whether they were killed by officers or if they shot themselves.

Original report: A person is dead after police said they opened fire Monday morning at The Covenant School in Nashville, injuring an unknown number of people, authorities said.

Officials with the Nashville Fire Department said in a social media post that they were dealing with “multiple patients” while responding to a report of an “active aggressor” Monday morning at The Covenant School.

“This is an active scene,” fire officials said in a social media post.

Police later confirmed that a shooting took place at the school.

“The shooter was engaged by (the Metro Nashville Police Department) and is dead,” officials said in a statement posted on social media.

Authorities did not immediately say how many people were injured or share the extent of their injuries.

The Covenant School was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church. In recent years, the private school has had as many as 210 students enrolled from preschool through sixth grade.

Check back for more on this developing story.

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