The Covenant School, where most of the youngsters are of primary school age, was the scene of the most recent incident in an epidemic of deadly mass gun violence that has regularly terrorized even the most beloved of American institutions.
The suspect, 28, fatally shot three children and three adult staff members on Monday at a private Christian school he once attended in the state’s capital city before being shot and killed by police, according to authorities. The chief claimed that the suspect was identified as transgender but gave no further details.
The motivation was not immediately apparent, but the suspect had created extensive maps of the school, including entrance routes for the facility, and left behind a “manifesto” and other papers that detectives were analyzing, Police Chief John Drake told reporters.
Investigators, according to Drake, believe the shooting was motivated by “some resentment” the suspect had for having to attend that school when he was younger.
The police chief didn’t elaborate on the kind of presumptive hostility or whether it was related to the suspect’s gender identity or the school’s Christian ethos. Drake claimed that although the school was specifically targeted, the individual victims were picked at random.
Drake identified the attacker as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, a local of the Nashville area, and used the pronouns “she” and “her” to refer to the attacker.
Authorities then released a school video showing the gunman smashing through glass doors with gunshots and prowling the corridors, brandishing a semi-automatic rifle. In a video where only the shooter was visible, Hale was dressed in a black vest over a white T-shirt, camouflage leggings, and a red baseball cap on the inside.
