On Monday, a gunman opened fire inside a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, resulting in the deaths of three children and three adults, according to the authorities. According to the authorities, the suspect in the shooting was taken out by police at The Covenant School, which is located in the wealthy Green Hills section of the city.
The preliminary investigation, according to Nashville Police Chief John Drake, showed that the shooting was directed at a specific person.
According to what he told the reporters, “We have a manifesto, and we have some papers that we are going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident.” “We have a map made out of how this was all going to take place,” the speaker said. “We have a plan.”
The investigation led Drake to believe that the shooter had been a student at the school at some point, but he was unsure of when.
His statement to NBS News was that investigators believe the shooter had “some anger” for having to attend that particular school.
The victims have been named as follows: 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney; 61-year-old Cynthia Peak; 60-year-old Katherine Koonce; and 61-year-old Mike Hill. All of the victims were identified by the authorities. The school employed every adult in the community.
Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old resident of Nashville, was identified as the shooter by the police. Officials have stated that the shooter was armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun. The gender identity of Hale is being investigated by CBS News at this time.
The video was released by the police on Monday night and shows the shooter blasting through the glass panes on the doors before entering the building. After entering the property, the shooter can be seen walking the hallways and entering and exiting rooms while carrying a pistol at his hip.
Drake stated that there was a total of three firearms involved in the incident, one of which was an AR-style weapon consisting of a rifle and a pistol, along with a second handgun. According to the chief of police, the authorities are investigating the possibility that two of the firearms were acquired legally and in the area.
Drake expressed his emotional response by saying, “I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being hustled out of the building.”
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, local authorities set up a reunion center close by, to which they brought pupils who were still inside the school.
“When we send our children to school or any other place where they will be safe, we want them to live, learn, and have fun while they are there, and that they will return back changed by the day’s events. We do not prepare for occurrences such as these, “Drake noted.
According to Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, officers entered the first story of the school building and began to clear it when they heard gunfire coming from the second level of the structure. When the cops moved upstairs, they reportedly spotted the shooter firing at approaching police cars, which was stated in a statement that was released late Monday night.
Aaron stated that at that time, the individuals “engaged” the shooter, who was then shot and killed by two of the five responding police officers who were present at the scene. Rex Englebert, who had been with the department for four years, and Michael Collazo, who had been with the MNPD for nine years, were later recognized as the policemen responsible for the shooting by the police.
The perpetrator of the shooting entered Covenant School through a side door and proceeded to move around the school, traveling from the first floor to the second while “firing multiple bullets.”
According to a report from a CBS station WTVF, Covenant is a private Christian school in Nashville that serves students in preschool all the way up through the sixth grade. According to the station, the school ran a program to train students to respond to active shooter situations the year before.
Agents with the Special Investigations Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were also a part of the reaction.
The White House has reported that President Trump spoke to Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Mayor Lee later on Monday evening. The president also reportedly gave orders for the United States flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other federal properties until Friday in honor of the victims. During her speech at the National League of Cities conference, First Lady Jill Biden also brought up the incident, noting that she was “really beyond words” after hearing the news of the tragedy.”Our children deserve better,” Jill Biden concluded. Everyone here joins me in praying for Nashville as we all stand together.
