nashville shooting today
One of Tennessees top law enforcement officials said in a recent meeting that the writings of the 28-year-old shooter, Audrey Hale, appear to be ramblings and indicative of a mental health struggle. At the state level, Tennessee in 2021 did away with its permit requirement for carrying a concealed handgun and now allows anyone aged 21 and older to carry a firearm, either openly or concealed, without a permit, as long as they are legally allowed to purchase the weapon. Drake said the school was singled out for attack but the individual victims were targeted at random. Minutes later, the video cuts off. Six killed, including three children, in Tennessee school shooting Nashvilles chief of police, John Drake, told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt that the shooter had planned to attack several different places, saying a manifesto belonging to the suspect indicates that there was going to be shootings at multiple locations, and the school was one of them. "I saw the [police] body camera videos, and the way she was dressed on Monday is exactly what she looked like in high school," Hardcastle said. Bill Lee,wifeclose friends with victim, Shooter bought seven firearms, was being treated for'emotional disorder', 14-minute timeline: From the Nashville school shooter's break-in to how police responded, Shooter reached out to ex-teammate before school attack, Surveillance footage shows armed suspect arriving at school, Andy Ogles, GOP congressman representing Nashville, criticized for posing with guns in family Christmas photo, Nashville shooting suspect killed by police in 'swift' response. Enrollment fluctuates between 195 and 210. 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.. Either way, its so sad as were trying to understand the cause and motive, realizing that whatever information is shared might be weaponized against an already marginalized group.. Nashville shooter who killed 6 drew maps, surveilled school 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. Deon J. Hampton is a national reporter for NBC News. We cant ask her anymore, and we cant get in her mind, Giacalone said. 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. 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. 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. The Covenant School is a private school founded in 2001 that serves students inpre-kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website. Nashville shooting latest news: 911 caller says Covenant staff were armed She wrote on Twitter:"My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist. 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.. 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.". She'd wear a ball cap sometimes," Hardcastle said. Hale walks in hallways and aims the assault rifle before the video cuts off. In the chaotic hours after the shooting, scores of parents gathered at Woodmont Baptist Church to reunite with their children. It's next door to a Nashville Fire Department stationand less than a mile south of Nashville's largest shopping district. Bill Lee said in a recorded address Tuesday night, his first extended comments on the shooting. As he ascends the stairs to the second floor, an officer ahead of him looks left out. 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. 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. The officers found the shooteron the second floor of the building that housesthe school and a Presbyterian church. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be. Following a deadly school shooting last month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have passed a proposal that would protect gun and ammunition dealers . The high school version of Hale showed no signs of resentment of anyone, Hardcastle said. Nashville school shooter wrote manifesto and drew maps, per police. Audrey Hale was already in the parking lot. Tennessee moves to protect gunmakers from mass shooting lawsuits So the front door is actually on the side of the building. "Officers entered the first story of the school and begin clearing it. Nashville mourns after deadly mass shooting at The Covenant School 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. Police also said Hale acted alone. The attack was the nation's 130th mass shooting of 2023, according toGun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun violence data. 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. A set of flags at an office building down the road flew at half mast. Nashville shooting: Shooter Audrey Hale sent Instagram DMs We will do our best to be mindful and respectful of the more important things in society today, continuing to pray for the shooting victims, their families and the entire Covenant School family, our hearts filled with love and hope for everyone affected.". See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. "Drake said two of the weapons were legally purchased in the Nashville area but did not specify which ones. 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. Possessing a handgun is outlawed in Tennessee for anybody who has been convicted of a felony offense involving violence or drugs. He said Hale left behind extensive writingsbut no motive for the shooting has been determined. "We think (Monday's shooting) was targeted and planned," Drake said. What spurred Hale to target The Covenant School about two decades after attending there has led to rampant speculation and placed scrutiny on what police initially said was their focus on the investigation. Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington. Biden believes recent legislative actions have not been enough. 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. 0:00. There are pieces to this whole story that we dont know and I dont know if it will ever give us closure or answers.. But Eads said that, if it were up to him, he would make the writings public. The chief said the suspect identified as transgender but provided no further clarity. The police department said officersRex Engelbert and Michael Collazo ended the attack, and they're being widely hailed for their courage in pursuing and taking down a heavily armed shooter. Drake said the school had an active shooter protocol. The news they heard just after noon was devastating: Three children and three school staff members were killed. At this point, I think the metro police department is backing off with making any judgments or assumptions on the manifesto and leaning on TBI and the FBI, he said, adding that overall, the police have done a good job of investigating. Hale fired more than 150 rounds during the March 27 shooting, Metro Nashville Police said . Follow along in Wednesday's new blog for live updates as we learn more. "My heart aches," she said. "The police department response was swift," Aaron said. 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. Nashville Police Chief John Drake said he grew emotional as he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. No one else was wounded, Aaron said. 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. He wrote on Twitter:"In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting. By that time, unbeknownst to Patton, Hale had shattered glass doors and entered the Covenant School. A couple hundred people attended the vigil. 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. "I never saw any of our staff sit down," Parker said. Jozen Reodica heard the police sirens and fire trucks blaring from outside her office building nearby. Mitchell, a student board member, urged lawmakers and other government officials for action. 2023 Cable News Network. 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. In 2016, when Ava was in first grade, she walked out onto the playground behind Townville Elementary as an angry 14-year-old pulled up in a truck, raised a handgun and opened fire. For some, that moment never came. Hale wore a black vest over a white T-shirt, camouflage pants and a backwards red baseball cap in a video that showed only the shooter in the frame. President Joe Biden referred to the shooting as a "sick'' act and reiterated his call for Congress to ban assault weapons.