Authorities: Nashville school shooting was targeted, thought-out attack

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Officials in Nashville, Tennessee said Tuesday’s school shooting was a targeted and thought-out attack that included maps of the building and writings about it.

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It also wasn’t the only school the suspect planned to attack.

“Those guns stole precious lives from us today in Nashville,” Mayor John Cooper said.

Cooper and Police Chief John Drake confirmed three children and three adults died after a shooting at The Covenant School on Monday.

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The suspect, later identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, gained entry by shooting through one of the doors.

Hale entered and fired shots on the lower floor before going to the upper level. It was there that Hale fired on police cars rushing to the school and was confronted by officers and killed.

Drake said Hale planned the shooting meticulously. and also had writings about carrying out the shooting.

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“There were maps drawn of the school in detail,” he said. “We have a manifesto, we have some writings we’re going over that pertain to this day.”

Authorities said Hale was transgender, and that there may be a connection between Hale’s identity and the shooting.

Hale did not have a criminal record, and two of the guns used were obtained legally.

Photos: The Covenant School shooting

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The Covenant School A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Amis) (JOHN AMIS/AP)

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