A heavily armed assailant stormed a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, killing three students and three adults before being killed by police. Audrey Hale, 28, reportedly planned the massacre at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school serving preschool to sixth-grade students. Hale attended the school in her youth, and some people say resentment may have fueled her attack.
Hale had no criminal record, but according to the New York Post, she did have detailed models of the school and surveillance, as well as a written manifesto. Evidence from her home suggests Hale planned to target another school with a violent attack but changed those plans because that school had more advanced surveillance in place.
Disturbing video captured from the scene shows Hale shooting through the glass of a side door at the school and entering heavily armed.
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Hale may have had a personal vendetta against the school.
NBC News reported that Hale's motivation for the shooting may have been rooted in "resentment" for having to attend the school as a child. Nashville Police Chief John Drake told the news outlet that the victims in the shooting were random, and she did not target any one person.
The school's former headmaster, Bill Campbell, told NBC News he remembered Hale as a third- and fourth-grade student but that nothing was outstanding or remarkable about her.
"I think about this student and our relationship at the time she was there, there was nothing extraordinary and unusual," the former school administrator said. "She was loved and appreciated like all of our students."
Hale made detailed plans for the shooting, including a manifesto.
While searching Hale's home and vehicle, authorities reportedly found various items implicating her in the shooting, including written plans.
There were "maps drawn of the school, in detail, so, surveillance, entry points, et cetera,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake said, according to The Daily Beast. He also said they discovered a “manifesto” and “some writings that pertain to this date, the actual incident … of how this was all going to take place.”
Hale's car was reportedly found parked near the school, and inside, police found “additional material written by Hale,” they indicated in a tweet.
Hale was a creative and artistic person.
Multiple news outlets reported that Hale was creative, and according to her now-deleted Linked In account, she once worked on a children's book about a support dog.
"Hello, my name is Audrey Hale. I am a freelance Illustrator and Graphic Designer who creates logos for businesses," Hale wrote on her website. "I primarily work with clients that desire a brand personality. I provide illustrations and designs that will help tell a company's story. My illustrations usually bring a whimsical and light-hearted feel."
Hale graduated from Nashville's Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022, Cyrus Vatandoost, school president and CEO, confirmed to ABC News. "While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student," he said.
Hale was reportedly transgender.
There is some confusion about Hale's gender identity. Police referred to Hale using "she" and "her" pronouns but also said Hale identified as transgender. On now-deleted social media accounts, Hale sometimes referred to herself as Aiden.
Some groups, such as the Transgender Education Network of Texas, are concerned about Hale's gender identity being associated with the killings. Many think the Nashville tragedy will exacerbate the anti-trans narrative.
"It doesn't excuse anything that happened," said Andrea Segovia, senior field and policy advisor for TENT. "I am concerned about how opposition and people who are anti-trans will try to spin this."
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Hale warned of her impending death.
According to Averianna Patton, a middle school friend of Hale's, she received a chilling message from Hale the morning of the shooting warning that she wanted to die. Patton shared screenshots of the Instagram exchange with Hale that she called "basically a suicide note."
Patton told News Channel 5 Nashville that she had no idea about Hale's plans but claims she reached out to provide help. "I tried to comfort and encourage her and subsequently reached out to the Suicide Prevention Help Line after being instructed to by my father at 10:08 am. Audrey has shared with others that she had been suicidal in the past and I knew to take this serious," Patton said.
She said she contacted the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff's office at 10:13 a.m. Monday and was directed to a nonemergency line. She claimed she was on hold for seven minutes, and a dispatcher finally told her an officer would come to her home. No one arrived until 3:29 p.m.
"After phone calls from friends and Audrey's name was released as the shooter at Covenant Nashville school, I learned that Audrey was the shooter and that she had reached out to me prior to the shooting," Patton said. "My heart is with all of the families affected and I'm devastated by what has happened."
Victims of the shooting include the pastor's daughter.
The names of the victims were released Monday. They include three children: Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; William Kinney, 9; and Hallie Scruggs, 9; adult victims were school custodian Mike Hill, 61; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and Head of School Katherine Koonce, 60. Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, which runs the school.
The Covenant School was founded in 2001 and according to its website is "intentionally small." It has approximately 200 students in preschool through sixth grade. Tuition is $16,000 per year.
