On Monday (March 27), three children and three staff members were gunned down at The Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school for preschool through sixth grade in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to Metropolitan Nashville Police, the suspect, who was killed by responding officers, was identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale. She was a transgender and former student of the school where the shooting occurred.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake stated that “detailed” maps of The Covenant School was found in the her home. The images noted points of entry and surveillance cameras.“There were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance entry points," Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during a press conference.
Police first received calls about the shooter at 11:13 a.m. ET, NBC News reported. Five officers approached the shooter and two opened fire, police spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters at the conference. She was said to be armed with "at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun."
"They heard shots coming from the second level. They immediately went to the gunfire. When the officers got to the second level, they saw a shooter, a female, who was firing. The officers engaged her. She was fatally shot by responding police officers," Aaron continued. "By 10:27 the shooter was deceased." The 6 victims were identified as 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, as well as Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
