In what appeared to be a well-planned attack on a private elementary school in Nashville on Monday, a heavily armed former pupil shot and murdered three young children and three staff members before being slain by police.
Audrey Hale, 28, who the officer later said identified as transgender, was the culprit, according to Chief of Police John Drake.
Hale left behind a manifesto, had maps of the school showing surveillance and entry-exit sites, and was “prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement,” the police chief told reporters following the latest outburst of gun violence in the United States.
According to him, the manifesto “indicates that there was going to be shootings at various locations, and the suspect was probably planning a larger attack,” so he claimed in an interview.
Hale entered The Covenant School, a Christian academy, from a side entrance and allegedly shot through a door before moving through the building while firing multiple shots, according to police. Hale was armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun.
According to the police, one of the three children slain was eight years old, the other two were nine years old, and the six fatalities were all adults between the ages of 60 and 61.
The website of the academy lists Katherine Koonce, one of the fatalities, as the head of the institution.
People placed flowers at a temporary monument outside the school on Monday night as the nation struggled to process yet another horrific shooting that claimed the lives of youngsters. Some people knelt to pray.
Regarding the shooter’s gender identity, there was some early misunderstanding. Despite the fact that police used the pronouns “she” and “her,” the suspect’s LinkedIn profile indicated Hale was a man.
After receiving the first emergency call at around 10am (1500 GMT), according to the police, officers arrived on the scene within 15 minutes. They engaged the shooter, who fired back before being shot dead.
