The horrifying Nashville school shooting that shook the nation’s core involved a 28-year-old transgender artist, Audrey Hale, who had previously attended the school and legally acquired seven firearms from five different local gun stores, unbeknownst to her family. The purchases were made despite severe emotional issues, necessitating medical attention.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake revealed that three of the firearms were used in the attack, which took place at Covenant School, a ministry of Nashville’s Covenant Presbyterian Church. Despite numerous interviews with Audrey Hale’s parents, the shooter’s motives for the attack remain unclear, and it is unknown whether she specifically targeted any victims.
According to Drake, Audrey Hale’s parents were only aware of one firearm, which they believed their child had sold. However, it was later discovered that Hale had stashed several weapons in their house. Furthermore, the shooter had been under a doctor’s care for an undisclosed emotional disorder, but law enforcement had no prior knowledge of her. The Hale family was against their child’s possession of weapons, but she had secretly built up a collection.
The tragedy claimed the lives of six people, including three 9-year-old students, among them the pastor’s daughter, and three adults. Police recovered three guns from the scene, along with a sawed-off shotgun and another shotgun from the shooter’s residence. It is currently unclear what happened to the two remaining guns.
Hale arrived at the school on Monday morning, around 10:15 a.m. in a Honda Fit, where she had prepared for the attack, leaving behind notes that indicated the assault was premeditated. Police found diagrams of the school layout, with possible entry points highlighted, and a drawing of Hale wearing the same outfit she had on during the attack. She went on to open fire from a second-story window, and responding officers were forced to engage in a firefight.
Officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo put an end to the carnage, and the shooter was taken down within 15 minutes. Tragically, the victims were found scattered throughout the building, and the first victim, custodian Michael Hill, was discovered dead near the entrance. Hill, a father of eight, was 61 years old. The head of the school, Katherine Koonce, aged 60, was found in a hallway near the office. The pastor’s daughter, Hallie Scruggs, along with Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney, both 9 and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, were among the dead.
The shooter had attended the Covenant School previously, and her records indicate that she graduated high school eight years ago and from the Nossi College of Art last year. It remains unclear what motivated Audrey Hale to carry out the tragic attack, which has left families and communities devastated.