'Family's Worst Nightmare': Horror and grief take over Nashville after school shooting

'Family's Worst Nightmare': Horror and grief take over Nashville after school shooting

FP Staff March 28, 2023, 17:17:38 IST

An armed former student identified as Audrey Hale shot through the doors of an elementary school in Nashville and killed three children and three staff, before being shot dead by police. The massacre was the latest mass shooting in a nation that has grown more alarmed by violence in schools

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A former student shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school in Tennesse on 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. AP

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The massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville was the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country that has grown increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The victims included three nine-year-old children, the school’s top administrator, a substitute teacher and a custodian. AP

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The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all nine-years-old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61. AP

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Amid the chaos, a familiar ritual played out: Panicked parents rushed to the school to see if their children were safe and tearfully hugged their kids, and a stunned community planned vigils for the victims. AP

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“I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building,” Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during one of several news conferences. AP

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Police gave unclear information on the gender of the shooter, who police say was fatally shot by two responding officers at the school. For hours, police identified the shooter as a 28-year-old woman and eventually identified the person as Audrey Hale. AP

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Then at a late afternoon press conference, the police chief said that Hale was transgender. After the news conference, police spokesperson Don Aaron declined to elaborate on how Hale is currently identified. AP

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Drake said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe Hale had “some resentment for having to go to that school.” The shooter gained entry by firing into glass doors on the building, shattering them, police later said in a tweet. AP

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The shooter was armed with two “assault-style” weapons as well as a handgun, authorities said. At least two of them were believed to have been obtained legally in the Nashville area, according to the chief. Police said a search of the shooter’s home turned up a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other unspecified evidence. AP

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President Joe Biden, speaking at the White House on Monday, called the shooting a “family’s worst nightmare” and implored Congress again to pass a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons. AP

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