The Nashville school shooter legally purchased seven firearms ahead of Monday’s deadly attack at a private Christian school that left three children and three adults dead, according to police.
Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was armed with three of them — two AR-style weapons and a handgun — when entering the school, killing six people, including three children, police said.
The shooter had been under a doctor’s care for an undisclosed emotional disorder but wasn’t previously known to authorities, John Drake, chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a news conference Tuesday. The shooter’s parents thought that Hale should not own weapons, Drake said, and were “under the impression” that Hale had sold any firearms.
Law enforcement officials said they had no information showing that Hale had targeted any of the individuals killed in Monday’s shooting at the Covenant School, a small academy housed within a Presbyterian church that served about 200 students from preschool to sixth grade and where Hale had previously been a student. They said they were still searching for a motive.
“This church building was a target of the shooter, but we have no information at present, no evidence to indicate an individual the shooter was specifically targeting,” said Don Aaron, a Nashville police spokesman.
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When is something a mass killing?
The Washington Post uses the term mass killing to describe any event in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed by gunfire.
The Post generally only uses the term mass shooting when we’re citing an organization such as the Gun Violence Archive whose definition differs from ours. The GVA defines a mass shooting as an event in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed by gunfire, including events with no fatalities.
Are these events becoming more common?
In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings (here are the events in 2023 so far.). In 2021, 2020 and 2019, there were 690, 610 and 417, respectively. Before that, the Gun Violence Archive tracked fewer than 400 a year since 2014. Most gun deaths continue to be from suicides and homicides, with men making up the majority of both perpetrators and victims.
How to stay safe in a mass shooting
Every situation is different, but experts advise that you try to stay down, small and out of sight; move away from the gunfire as quickly as is safe; and hide behind a wall if possible.
Where to find support
News of mass killings can be upsetting, especially if you are dealing with violence-related trauma. But help is available. You can call or text 988 for the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you’re experiencing any kind of crisis (it’s not only for suicidal thoughts). Here are more resources.
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Police identified the victims as students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9; and staff members Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
Police initially said the shooter was a 28-year-old woman and then later said Hale was transgender, citing a social media profile in which Hale used masculine pronouns. The Post has not yet confirmed how Hale identified.
The latest revelations came as Nashville police released footage from body-worn cameras that depicts officers confronting and opening fire on Hale inside the school Monday, killing the shooter.
The incident unfolded over less than 15 minutes in a leafy suburban area about 10 miles south of central Nashville. Police said they received a 911 call about a shooter at the school at 10:13 a.m. and were on-site minutes later.
On Tuesday, Drake said Hale’s parents were cooperating with authorities and were shocked by the incident. He said Hale’s mother told police she had seen Hale leaving the house Monday morning ahead of the attack. The woman asked Hale what was in a bag Hale had, but Hale “dismissed” the question, according to Drake.
“She didn’t know that her daughter had any weapons,” Drake said, adding that Hale’s parents “had lost a child.”
“This was very traumatic for them,” he said.
Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was armed with three of them — two AR-style weapons and a handgun — when entering the school, killing six people, including three children, police said.
The shooter had been under a doctor’s care for an undisclosed emotional disorder but wasn’t previously known to authorities, John Drake, chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a news conference Tuesday. The shooter’s parents thought that Hale should not own weapons, Drake said, and were “under the impression” that Hale had sold any firearms.
Law enforcement officials said they had no information showing that Hale had targeted any of the individuals killed in Monday’s shooting at the Covenant School, a small academy housed within a Presbyterian church that served about 200 students from preschool to sixth grade and where Hale had previously been a student. They said they were still searching for a motive.
“This church building was a target of the shooter, but we have no information at present, no evidence to indicate an individual the shooter was specifically targeting,” said Don Aaron, a Nashville police spokesman.
Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
Mass killings in the U.S.
When is something a mass killing?
The Washington Post uses the term mass killing to describe any event in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed by gunfire.
The Post generally only uses the term mass shooting when we’re citing an organization such as the Gun Violence Archive whose definition differs from ours. The GVA defines a mass shooting as an event in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed by gunfire, including events with no fatalities.
Are these events becoming more common?
In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings (here are the events in 2023 so far.). In 2021, 2020 and 2019, there were 690, 610 and 417, respectively. Before that, the Gun Violence Archive tracked fewer than 400 a year since 2014. Most gun deaths continue to be from suicides and homicides, with men making up the majority of both perpetrators and victims.
How to stay safe in a mass shooting
Every situation is different, but experts advise that you try to stay down, small and out of sight; move away from the gunfire as quickly as is safe; and hide behind a wall if possible.
Where to find support
News of mass killings can be upsetting, especially if you are dealing with violence-related trauma. But help is available. You can call or text 988 for the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you’re experiencing any kind of crisis (it’s not only for suicidal thoughts). Here are more resources.
1/5
End of carousel
Police identified the victims as students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9; and staff members Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
Police initially said the shooter was a 28-year-old woman and then later said Hale was transgender, citing a social media profile in which Hale used masculine pronouns. The Post has not yet confirmed how Hale identified.
The latest revelations came as Nashville police released footage from body-worn cameras that depicts officers confronting and opening fire on Hale inside the school Monday, killing the shooter.
The incident unfolded over less than 15 minutes in a leafy suburban area about 10 miles south of central Nashville. Police said they received a 911 call about a shooter at the school at 10:13 a.m. and were on-site minutes later.
On Tuesday, Drake said Hale’s parents were cooperating with authorities and were shocked by the incident. He said Hale’s mother told police she had seen Hale leaving the house Monday morning ahead of the attack. The woman asked Hale what was in a bag Hale had, but Hale “dismissed” the question, according to Drake.
“She didn’t know that her daughter had any weapons,” Drake said, adding that Hale’s parents “had lost a child.”
“This was very traumatic for them,” he said.
