Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the active shooter, arrived at the Covenant Church/School campus this morning in her Honda Fit and parked it.
Following this, MNPD detectives searched the vehicle and discovered further written documents attributed to Hale.
Hale entered the Covenant building after shooting the glass in those doors.
A 28-year-old transgender woman and former student of the Covenant School in Nashville shot and killed six people, including three nine-year-old children and three staff members, after writing a detailed manifesto outlining her plans.
Audrey Hale also reportedly planned an attack on another school, but decided against it due to security concerns.
According to Nashville Police Chief John Drake, the shooting began around 10:13 a.m. when Hale opened fire on the school, killing Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.
At a press conference, Nashville Police Chief John Drake identified the Covenant School shooter as Audrey Hale, a transgender woman who had attended the school.
Hale, 28, had a manifesto that should provide some insight into the motive for the attack, according to Drake. Hale had written detailed plans and drawn maps of the school and also supervised it.
The shooting claimed the lives of three nine-year-old children, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, school principal Katherine Koonce and caretaker Mike Hill. Although a LinkedIn page linked to an Audrey Hale in Nashville used “he/him” pronouns, Drake confirmed that Hale identifies as female.
Drake said they are currently reviewing a manifesto and some writing related to the shooting, as well as a map of the school showing how the attack would unfold.
Although there is a theory that they might release later, it has yet to be confirmed. When asked if Hale’s gender identity could be linked to the motive, Drake replied that they are investigating all leads and will share the information when they have more details.
The chief also mentioned that Hale had no criminal history and there was no known history of mental illness. However, the possibility of mental illness was being investigated.
Drake revealed that Hale intended to target another school in Nashville but decided against it due to security concerns.
Sandy Durham, a neighbor who claimed to have known Hale “since she was a baby”, expressed shock and said there were no warning signs that Hale was capable of such a heinous act.
Next-door neighbor Sean Brashears described Hale as a “normal, nice person” who he used to play basketball with in his driveway.
He speculated that Audrey’s parents were probably as surprised as everyone else in the neighborhood, saying it didn’t seem real. According to Brashears, knowing the Hale family, it was unlikely that Audrey was influenced by gun culture.
He added that there was no indication the family owned or had access to firearms, as they were not known to talk about going to a shooting range or hunting.
Six people, including three children, were tragically killed in a shooting at a private school in Nashville, with three nine-year-old children and three staff members among the victims. The small school, which is run by a church, does not have a school resource officer.
Chief Drake replied that a theory was being considered but all leads were being investigated and they would provide further information as soon as possible.
The leader confirmed that the attack was targeted.
Chief Drake said while there was no known history of mental illness, it was still being considered as a possible lead in the investigation.
Hale had also considered targeting another location, but ultimately decided against it due to the level of security present there.
The Chief believes the attacker acted alone and there are currently no indications of other threats.
The six victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged 9, and Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, all aged 61.
Koonce was the school principal at The Covenant School, and Hill worked as a caretaker while Peak served as a substitute teacher, according to law enforcement officials speaking to reporters March 27.