Nashville school shooter seen ‘walking with rifle’ in and out classrooms

Surveillance footage released by Metro Nashville Police showed the shooter, identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, arriving in a Honda Fit car, parking, and then proceeding towards the school.

Hale is seen shooting down the glass double doorway of the school before opening fire on students and staff. Footage also shows Hale walking around the school, around different hallways armed with an assault rifle, coming in and out of different rooms.

The accused, who is believed to be a former student at Covenant Presbyterian Church School, was shot dead by police on an upper floor of the school.

Police have identified the suspected shooter by their name at birth; Hale reportedly was a transgender man who used he/him pronouns, though law enforcement officials initially described the suspect as a woman in the aftermath of the shooting. Police did not provide another name. In answer to a question as to whether Hale’s transgender status might have any bearing on a motive.

Metro Nashville Police chief John Drake said: “There is some theory to that. We’re investigating all the leads and once we know exactly, we will let you know.”

Chief Drake said Hale was not believed to have any previous criminal record.

Officials have identified the three school children and three adults killed in the private Christian elementary school as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged or nearly 9, Katherine Koonce, age 60, and Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both age 61. This tragic event has reignited the debate around gun control and safety measures in schools.

According to The Tennessean, this is the fifth school shooting in the Nashville area since 2011 and the first since 2018. The incident has raised questions about the safety of schools and the need for stricter gun control measures in the United States.