NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The individual responsible for the incident in 2023
Nashville elementary school attack
The attack that claimed six lives, with three of them being children, was meticulously planned over several years by the perpetrator who concealed their mental health struggles from both relatives and medical professionals, according to a police report issued on Wednesday.
The approximately 50-page investigative case summary encompasses
long-sought-after details
Regarding the Covenant School shooting, this incident highlights the extensive measures taken by the perpetrator to meticulously study and orchestrate an attack at the religious school, all while avoiding detection or intervention from psychological support services.
The potential release of the shooter’s writings ignited a legal dispute. Among these documents,
have been leaked,
and as Wednesday’s report brings the Nashville Police investigation to an end
the March 2023 shooting,
The debate about what additional information regarding that assault and other incidents should be made public continues unabated.
Initially during the probe, law enforcement indicated that the gunman had composed a “manifesto” outlining his reasons and objectives. However, the 28-year-old perpetrator, Audrey Hale, only left behind “an array of
notebooks, artistic composition books, and multimedia files
Police concluded their investigation by detailing the planning and preparations for the assault, along with personal milestones and underlying motives. Hale, who had previously enrolled at Covenant, was fatally shot by law enforcement officials.
Hale aimed to murder at least 40 individuals with the intention of inspiring literature, documentaries, and films. He also desired for the weapons used to be displayed in museums and had his bedroom kept intact as a memorial site, according to what police discovered.
Hale occasionally employed male pronouns; however, the police report utilizes female pronouns based on a state statute defining “sex” as “established by one’s anatomical and genetic makeup present at birth.” The authorities mentioned that Hale self-identified as male.
The report recognizes but disregards the notion that Hale’s mental health professionals might face criminal charges for failing to intervene.
According to the report, Hale’s parents and therapist were worried about his mental well-being for an extended period. Psychological evaluations carried out by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2019 and 2021 determined that Hale was not experiencing psychosis but suggested he receive outpatient care instead.
“She possessed ample experience navigating the mental health care system, enabling her to know which subjects to steer clear of when speaking with her caregivers and how to influence them into thinking that her recorded struggles with homicidal and suicidal tendencies were now firmly behind her,” the passage states.
As Hale’s parents and therapists grew increasingly worried, he turned even more deceptive. The document states that at some stage, Hale contemplated murdering his mother to avoid being exposed, even though he had a “powerful emotional bond” with her.
Hale steered clear of using credit or debit cards for costs associated with the attack, aware that his mother might have access to these accounts. He also regularly deleted materials pertaining to the incident from both his computer and cell phone to prevent his mother from discovering them, according to what was documented by the police.
Hale chose The Covenant School for several reasons, according to the police. He believed he wouldn’t feel outnumbered there.
The personnel and learners at that location
He thought he would become notorious for assaulting a Christian school. Additionally, he had pleasant recollections of his time at the institution.
Police noted that Hale frequently mentioned her time at The Covenant as the most joyful period of her childhood education.
The police disregarded suggestions that race, religion, or economics were factors in the shooting, stating that none of these motivations influenced her choice to target The Covenant. However, they acknowledged that Hale occasionally expressed anger regarding these subjects in her writing.
According to the report, Hale looked into various filming sites such as busy streets and commercial centers like shopping malls.
By 2018, Hale was plotting an assault against Creswell Middle School, a Nashville public institution he joined following his time at Covenant. He meticulously developed timelines and strategies for this operation. Yet, come March 2020, Hale began experiencing second thoughts. The majority of Creswell’s student body comprised African American children, which led Hale to worry about potential accusations of racism, even though he expressed having “no reservations regarding the death of individuals irrespective of their demographic specifics,” according to law enforcement reports.
The report indicates that Covenant had anticipated a potential school shooting by installing blackout curtains and securing the classroom doors with safety bars. When staff members realized there was an active shooter inside the facility, these measures appeared effective. However, Hale roamed the corridors aimlessly, failing to locate his intended victims and instead targeting “televisions, doors, and windows in areas devoid of people.”
The people killed
The individuals involved in the incident include Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, who were all 9 years old; as well as Cynthia Peak, aged 61; Katherine Koonce, also 61; and Mike Hill, 61.
Mary Joyce, who had a third grader in the class with the children who were killed, said Wednesday she remembers Koonce and a male teacher speaking at a parent orientation in the fall before the shooting about their preparation in case of a school shooter.
“I recall he became quite emotional when discussing it, yet he stated, ‘I genuinely feel thankful that we are ready regardless of what might occur.’ And subsequently, it happened,” Joyce mentioned.