First lady Jill Biden also addressed the shootingas she opened the National League of Cities event in Washington. "It's ripping our communities apart ripping at the very soul of our nation. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A former student shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school Monday and killed three children and three adults after elaborately planning the massacre by drawing out a detailed map and conducting surveillance of the building, police said. deadly shooting rampage at a local Christian elementary school, Officers Engelbert, Collazo seen in body cam video hailed as heroes: Nashville school shooting live updates, Tennessee Gov. "We stand, all of us, with Nashville in prayer.". Without referencing Uvalde, Drake made it clear standing around for more than an hour in an active-shooter situation was not an option. Officers were reviewing video from the school, he said. Drake said the attacker did not appear to be targeting anyone specifically at the school, where Halehad been a student. Nashville police released more 911 calls on Thursday evening from inside of The Covenant School during Monday's shooting. The Covenant School is a private school founded in 2001 that serves students inpre-kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. A set of flags at an office building down the road flew at half mast. Is there a clue thats a tipoff? Giacalone asked. 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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Police said the suspect was armed with two assault-type guns and a 9 mm pistol. Harold Love Jr. will speak at the event. The 28-year-old, who attacked The Covenant School on Monday,was devastated by the death in August of Sydney Shere Sims in a traffic accident, former classmate Samira Hardcastle said. Koonce earned a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, according to the school website. I woke up this morning with a very familiar feeling, and I recognize that today many Tennesseans are feeling the exact same way the emptiness, the lack of understanding, the desperate desire for answers, and the desperate need for hope.". "We think (Monday's shooting) was targeted and planned," Drake said. Its important they attend to the basic comfort need, be present with their children.. More recently, a six-year-old shot his teacher in Virginia and a high-school student in Colorado shot two administrators. She was outside the school and she heard gunshots., Drake said: It could have been far, far worse.. The video ends with the confrontation in an upstairs lobby area, when several shots were fired at the attacker, who fell amid shouts of "Stop moving," "Suspect down," and, "Get your hand away from the gun.". A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night at Public Square Park to honor the victims of Monday's shooting. All rights reserved. Several vigils were held Monday night across Nashville in honor of the victims and their families. It is known that Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers, the release said. The staffers wereKatherine Koonce, 60, identified on the Covenant website as "head of school"; substitute teacherCynthia Peak, 61;and custodian Mike Hill, 61. Ava escaped . "What happened at Covenant School was a tragedy beyond comprehension," Gov. "Our community is heartbroken. The Ogles Family," the post reads, adding in quotes: "The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." ':Woman who survived Highland Park shooting makes plea in Nashville. The Tennessean said Koonce was the school's headmaster. Shooting at the school where my Dad, my uncle and my stepmom work please pray right now, she wrote at about noon local time. 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. Police identified the victims of the shooting on Monday afternoon as: The Covenant School shooting:Who are the victims? Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called for federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the shooting as a religious hate crime citing law enforcement reports that the shooter targeted the Christian school. While police are still working to determine a motive for the attack, they said in a news release that writings left behind by Hale make clear that it was calculated and planned. Hale targeted the school and Covenant Presbyterian Church, to which the school is attached, police said, but its believed the victims were fired upon at random. He commended MNPD's swift response, and called for Congress to take action to pass a ban on assault weapons. Now, she said, she's "in shock and disgusted with everything. Read more here. The intrudergunned down three young students and three staff members before being confronted and killed by police, Metro Nashville Police DepartmentChiefJohn Drake said. About the four-minute mark, the video cuts to Collazo's body camera. At one point, teachers were asked to raise their hands, and others placed their hands on them and prayed over them. In contrast to the painfully delayed police response to the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year, law enforcement officers in Nashville took quickaction Monday, likely saving several lives. It's next door to a Nashville Fire Department stationand less than a mile south of Nashville's largest shopping district. Peak was raised in Leesville, Louisiana, and attended Leesville High School through her sophomore year in 1977, when her family relocated to Shreveport, KALB-TVin Alexandria, Louisiana, reported. Contributing:Trevor Hughes,Grace Hauck,and Natalie Neysa Alund,USA TODAY; Melissa Brown, Rachel Wegner, Kirsten Fiscus, andCraig Shoup,Nashville Tennessean, Police body camera shows officers searching for Nashville school shooter. Evil is very real. "We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.". Hannah McDonald, a reporter for News Channel 5, told viewers her mother-in-law worked at the school but was on a break when the shooting happened. It was too late. Three children and two adults were takento Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds, and all fivewere pronounced dead there, said Craig Boerner, spokesperson forVanderbilt University Medical Center. "I was really impressed that with all that was going on, the danger, that somebody took control and said, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go,' and went in and just tried to end this situation,''Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. The website of school, a Presbyterian establishment founded in 2001, lists a Katherine Koonce as the head of the school. The 61-year-old wasone of six victims slain in one of the deadliest school shootings in Tennessee history. For an hour, city leaders, including Mayor James Maness, Police Chief James Hambrick and several church pastors, prayed and offered their condolences to The Covenant School and the entire Nashville community. Police said Hale was armed with "significant ammunition.". Police also said . Nicole Hester/USA Today Network via REUTERS. Biden ordered the American flag at the White House to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. Hale also said in the messages to Patton that a March 13 Instagram post was actually a suicide note. Woman who survived Highland Park shooting makes plea in Nashville, First lady Jill Biden responds to Nashville mass shooting, wounded two faculty members at a high school in Denver, Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006, the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, shared through tears a story of Evelyn Dieckhaus, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The heavily armed shooter accused of killing six people at a Nashville Christian school left behind writings and a map outlining motives for the attack, authorities said Monday. Bill Lee said in a recorded address Tuesday night, his first extended comments on the shooting. All you can show is that basically that we are all here together and hold their hand more than anything else, he said. More notably, he was "Big Mike" to his students, who will surely feel his loss in the years to come," Anne Puricelli, the page organizer, wrote on the fundraiser page. Nashville police wouldnt confirm the contents of the journal writings, and a department spokeswoman said they remain under review and the motive is yet to be determined.. Joseph Giacalone, a retired sergeant with the New York City Police Department and an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the need for caution becomes even more crucial when the suspect was known to have a mental illness and is no longer living. First lady Jill Biden joins vigil; officers Engelbert, Collazo seen in body cam video hailed as heroes: Nashville shooting updates. Its ripping the soul from this nation.. Audrey Hale sent direct messages from The Covenant School parking lot to a former middle school basketball teammate minutes before Monday's shooting. That concerns me more than anything.. Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington. The officers found the assailant on the second floor of the building housing the school and a Presbyterian church and neutralized the threat by 10:27 a.m., police said. Hale is visible in the video but is partially obscured by a blurred box. "Per his family, he took great pleasure and found tremendous joy in his job and through those students.". We are also making sure to address any emotional issues our personnel may be facing, Pleasant said. Nashville shooter who killed 6 drew maps, surveilled school. Bill Lee said in a recorded address Tuesday night, his first extended comments on the shooting. It was really scary, really sad.. A member of the kitchen staff at the Covenant school reacts after the shooting. Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. Three 9-year-old children and three adults were killed Monday in a shooting at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, police said. Police identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, all of them age 9, and Mike Hill, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Cynthia Peak, 61. The school is on the campus of Covenant Presbyterian Church in the city's Green Hills neighborhood, about 9 miles southeast of downtown Nashville. Mitchell watched out of her classroom window as police and emergency vehicles raced past her school and to the scene, about two miles down the road off Hillsboro Pike. 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. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Kevin Wurm in Nashville; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh, Tyler Clifford, Rich McKay, Brad Brooks, Joseph Ax and Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Jonathan Allen and Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates, Texas man accused of killing five neighbors was deported four times, US may default June 1 without debt ceiling hike; Biden calls McCarthy to meet, Biden urges Republicans take debt default off table, warns interest rates would jump, American Airlines pilots authorize a strike mandate, Brazil police shoot dead 4 illegal gold miners on Yanomami reservation, Sudanese fleeing north face arduous crossing into Egypt, Kuwait again dissolves reinstated parliament by decree, British royals release photo of a beaming Princess Charlotte, Israeli attack puts Syria's Aleppo airport out of service, one soldier killed -state media. "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. "Outstanding job @MNPDNashville,''the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Officers' Association said in a tweet. Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was an illustrator and graphic designer. 2. A shooting at a private religious grade school in Nashville, Tennessee, left three adults and three 9-year-olds dead on March 27. I was really impressed that with all that was going on, someone took control and said Lets go, lets go., Drake said at Tuesday's briefing. After the talk, they left the school. No, definitely not. The suspected shooter, identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, was fatally shot by officers who responded to the scene at The Covenant School. Most came from the body camera of officer Rex Engelbert. 'Aren't you tired of this? What is The Covenant School in Nashville? Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 2023 www.tennessean.com. The school's motto is "Shepherding hearts. The Covenant School students who died Monday were all 9 years old, andthe staff members were in their 60s. Please click here for the. Deon J. Hampton is a national reporter for NBC News. Nashville police identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all nine years old; Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher, aged 61; Katherine Koonce, aged 60; and Mike Hill, a custodian, aged 61. "Officers entered the first story of the school and begin clearing it. Drake said investigators believed the shooting stemmed from some resentment the suspect harbored for having to go to that school as a younger person. Juliet began with a lone bagpipe player standing in front of the clock tower. "These brave officers ran toward the gunfire and eliminated the threat as they are trained to do.''. Did you encounter any technical issues? The sixth victim was not taken to the hospital, police spokesman Don Aaron said. More than 3,000 donations had been made as of 6 p.m. Tuesday. Read more here. This is a deep rupture in our lives., Metro Nashville police published a news release late Monday that said investigators found writings that revealed the attack was " calculated and planned.". The Tennessean newspaper cited a police spokesperson as saying Hale used he/him pronouns. Hallie Scruggs was a student at the Covenant School. "A lot of comments about 'you were all that mattered' [and] 'Ill miss you forever,' etc.," Colomy said, paraphrasing what she saw of Hale's social media postings. Nashville shooter messaged former teammate before attack, three 9-year-olds, a school administrator, a custodian and a substitute teacher, Full bodycam: Nashville police encounter school shooter. President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. For Megan Hill, the days agony unfolded over six long hours, marked by posts on Facebook in which she identified herself as the niece of one of the victims. Because a church operates the school, no Nashville police officers were assigned to the building, Aaron said. 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. "As it turns out, she had been hiding several weapons within the house,'' Drake said, adding that law enforcement was not aware of Hale before the shooting. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database resource, there have been at least 89 instances of gun violence at kindergarten through 12th-grade schools or during school activities in the US this year. But Rosanne Cash, daughter of the late Nashville country music star Johnny Cash and a singer-songwriter in her own right, responded by criticizing Blackburn's ties to the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby. When I heard the news on April 3, my first thought was of the traffic. She'd wear a ball cap sometimes," Hardcastle said. It's not logical," said the woman, who asked not to be named out of fear of online reprisals. There are pieces to this whole story that we dont know and I dont know if it will ever give us closure or answers.. There's a connection with that family.". MNPD said Audrey Hale shot at officers from a second-story window when they arrived at the school Monday morning. Two of the victims were school. They "immediately went to the gunfire," he said. "I have done the full extent of my executive authority, to do anything about guns," he said. Even before the Covenant School shooting, Drake had concerns about gun violence. Three children and three adult staff members were slain at a Nashville school Monday in one of Tennessee's deadliest school shootings. 0:00. He said he was one of several chaplains, psychologists, life coaches and clergy inside supporting the families. A shooter who killed three 9-year-old students and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville Monday had maps of the school, left behind writings and scouted a second. Three children and three adults have been killed in a shooting by an ex-student at a school in the US city of Nashville, Tennessee. 'There is no universal school safety solution.' The video begins when Englebert arrived on scene where a staff member outside the school directed officers to the second floor of the school. Creaig Dunton, an associate professor of criminal justice atWestern New England University, said releasing the personal writings of a mass shooter is a "double-edged sword" and can be problematic because it gives the person what they craved: attention. WHAT IS AN 'ASSAULT WEAPON'? Local congressman's family photo draws criticism, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The morning was filled with the sound of sirens. "This is the ultimate crime, when schoolchildren and caregivers are the victims of senseless gun violence," Glenn Funk, Davidson County District Attorney General, said in a newsconference. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The shooter who killed six people, including three children, at a Nashville elementary school Monday had detailed maps of the facility, considered another target and left. At 10:13 a.m., Hale fired the first shot inside the school. Unlike in Nashville, where the police department released footage from the Monday shooting by the following day, the state police in Texas have yet to officially release video from the scene, more . Hale fired more than 150 rounds during the March 27 shooting, Metro Nashville Police said . "So exactly how they showed her on the bodycam footage was exactly how I remember her looking and how she always dressed.". A steady stream of traffic continued to roll down Burton Hills Boulevard under overcast skies. Britney Grayson was moments away from the shooting Monday. President Joe Biden spoke with reporters Tuesday and again pleaded for Congress to act on gun reform, one day after three children and three adults were killed in a school shooting in Nashville. follow our coverage from Tuesday, March 28 here. As he ascends the stairs to the second floor, an officer ahead of him looks left out. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. "She seemed like she always did, just kind of quiet," she said. We have become aware of the reality that we spend most of our lives wanting to deny, that this world is not safe. "Audrey, you have so much more life to live," Patton responds in the messages. "It's ripping our communities apart, ripping at the very soul of the nation. ', First lady Jill Biden also addressed the shooting, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The shooter was killed by responding officers, police said. Protesters gather inside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for an end to gun violence and support stronger gun laws after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., March 30 . A police spokesperson describes. He wrote on Twitter:"In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting. " We strongly believe there were going to be other targets, including maybe family members and one of the malls here in Nashville.". Senior minister Clay Stauffer shared through tears a story of Evelyn Dieckhaus at the end of the service. 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. '", Contributing: Cassandra Stephenson,Nashville Tennessean. The photo, which remained on the congressman's Facebook page as of Monday night, shows his wife and two of his three children smiling and holding firearms in front of a Christmas tree. In a subsequent NBC News television interview, Drake said investigators believed the shooting stemmed from "some resentment" the suspect harbored "for having to go to that school" as a younger person. "You vote against every common sense gun control bill that comes across your desk, you've taken over $1 million from the NRA and you rank 14th in all Congress for NRA contributions. Metro Nashville Police released more than two minutes of surveillance video showing the moment school shooting suspect Audrey Hale arrived at the Covenant School where she shot 3 kids and 3 staff members. Nashville school shooter wrote manifesto and drew maps, per police. LATEST NEWS: Officers Engelbert, Collazo seen in body cam video hailed as heroes: Nashville school shooting live updates, 'IT WAS TRULY HORRIFIC':Nashville mourns after mass shooting. HOW TO HELP:How to help those affected by the Covenant School shooting in Nashville. Hale and Sims attended Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts and the Nashville School of the Arts. There have been 130mass shootings in the U.S. this calendar year, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as at least four peopleinjured. Rausch declined several interview requests from NBC News. A few people trickled in to lay flowers against the stone wall where the memorial was set up. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be. "It could have been far worse. She saw one woman fall to her knees and grab her chest. Balloons, stuffed animals, notes and candles also lined the wall. ", "My heart goes out to the families of the victims," Cooper said. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much A top Texas law enforcement official later said there were enough armed police officers wearing body armor to halt the shooting three minutes after it began. I was hoping this day would never, ever come here in the city, Drake said, but we would never wait to make entry and go in and stop a threat, especially when it deals with our children.. Emergency vehicles and helicopters swarmed the Green Hills neighborhood, which is home to several schools, a string of businesses and residential neighborhoods. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on Monday night released images of three weapons, as well as footage of the suspect driving and parking at the building, allegedly shooting through the door and walking around inside the facility while holding a gun. My moms brother Lord help me and my family please pray for all my cousins.. Neither of the two officers who fired on the shooter, Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo, had been in a similar situation, MNPD chief John Drake said Tuesday. Investigators have stopped short of publicly assigning a motive to Mondays attack although Police Chief John Drake hinted that a sense of resentment could have fueled Hales assault. Illinois resident Ashbey Beasley was on vacation and about a block away from the school when she heard shots Monday morning. After the shooting, children were seen walking, holding hands and surrounded by police cars, to the nearby Woodmont Baptist church, to be reunited with parents. NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 27 (Reuters) - A heavily armed 28-year-old fatally shot three children and three adult staffers on Monday at a private Christian school the suspect once attended in Tennessee's capital city before police killed the assailant, authorities said. "It could have been as bad as Uvalde, based on what Hale had for firepower.".

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