March 28, 2023, Washington: A heavily-armed former student killed three young children and three staff in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack at a private elementary school in Nashville on Monday before being shot dead by police.
Chief of Police John Drake named the suspect as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old female, who the officer later said identified as transgender. Hale had maps of the school, left behind a manifesto, and was “prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement,” the police chief told reporters following the latest outburst of gun violence to stun the United States. Armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun, Hale entered the Christian Covenant School from a side entrance, allegedly shooting through a door and firing multiple shots while advancing through the building, according to police.
They said officers were on the scene within about 15 minutes of receiving the first emergency call around 10:00 am (1500 GMT), engaging the shooter, who returned fire before being shot dead. Police identified the six victims; the three slain children were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Also shot dead were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school; Mike Hill, 61, a school custodian; and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher. Last year a shooter in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 students and two teachers.
There have been 15 mass shootings at schools or universities in the U.S. since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Mass shootings are defined as more than four people dying, not including the perpetrator, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, in addition to other AP reporting: Of those 15 shootings, 175 people have died, the data shows.
