MNPD Officers Rex Engelbert, a 4-year veteran, and Michael Collazo, a 9-year veteran, were part of a team of officers who responded to the Covenant Church/School campus Monday morning and immediately entered the building. Both of those officers fired on the shooter, who was killed.
According to the Metro Police, on Monday morning, 28-year-old Audrey Hale arrived at the Covenant School in a Honda Fit and gained entry by shooting out the doors. Later on, she would proceed to kill three staff members and three 9-year-old children at the school.
09:53am – The arrival of Hale’s gray Honda Fit at The Covenant School in Nashville was observed.
09:54am – Hale was observed driving through the parking lot in a seemingly calm manner. Nothing indicated that anything was amiss as she found a parking spot.
10:10am – Hale shattered the locked glass front door and began firing. She then proceeded through the debris and into the empty reception area of the church, which is located next to the school.
10:13am – While holding her assault rifle, Hale entered a carpeted room inside the church in search of potential victims. However, the room was empty. It was at this moment that the first call reporting shots being fired in the building was made to 911.
10:18am – The same camera captured footage of Hale continuing to search for victims inside the church. She was observed opening a door into the next room.
10:19am – After a while, the 28-year-old shooter returned through the door and aimed her gun, despite there being no one in the room. She then attempted to open another door before returning after about 30 seconds.
10:20am – In the footage, Hale is seen walking through a wooden-floored building labelled “first”, passing through an empty reception. She proceeds to stalk the corridor before disappearing from view.
10:27am – Hale was fatally shot by officers on the second floor of the school after engaging them in gunfire. The officers fired back, resulting in her death.
A statement from The Covenant School:
Our community is heartbroken. We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church. We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.
Law enforcement is conducting its investigation, and while we understand there is a lot of interest and there will be a lot of discussion about and speculation surrounding what happened, we will continue to prioritize the well-being of our community.
We appreciate the outpouring of support we have received, and we are tremendously grateful to the first responders who acted quickly to protect our students, faculty and staff.
We ask for privacy as our community grapples with this terrible tragedy – for our students, parents, faculty and staff.
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 had 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 at around 10:13 am when Hale opened fire at the school, killing Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney.
At a press conference, Nashville Police Chief John Drake identified the shooter at The Covenant School as Audrey Hale, a transgender woman who had attended the school.
Hale, 28, had a manifesto that is expected to provide insight into the motive behind the attack, according to Drake. Hale had written out detailed plans and drawn maps of the school and had also been surveilling it.
The shooting claimed the lives of three nine-year-old children, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, head of school Katherine Koonce, and custodian Mike Hill. Although a LinkedIn page connected to an Audrey Hale in Nashville used “he/him” pronouns, Drake confirmed that Hale identifies as a woman.
Drake stated that they were currently reviewing a manifesto and some writings related to the shooting, along with a map of the school showing how the attack would unfold.
Although there is a theory that they may release later, it has not been confirmed yet. When asked if Hale’s gender identity could be related to the motive, Drake responded that they were investigating all leads and would 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 had 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 stated that there were no warning signs indicating that Hale was capable of such a heinous act.
Sean Brashears, a next-door neighbor, described Hale as a “normal, nice person” whom he used to play basketball with in his driveway.
He speculated that Audrey’s parents were probably just as surprised as everyone in the neighborhood, saying that 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 that the family owned or had access to firearms, as they were not known to talk about going to a gun 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 responded that there is a theory being considered but that all leads are being investigated, and they will provide further information as soon as possible.
The Chief confirmed that the attack was targeted.
Chief Drake stated that although there was no known history of mental illness, it was still being considered as a possible lead in the investigation.
Hale had also contemplated targeting another location, but ultimately decided against it due to the level of security present there.
The Chief believes that the perpetrator acted alone, and there is currently no indication of any further threats.
The six victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, as well as Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, and Mike Hill, all 61 years old.
Koonce was the head of school at The Covenant School, and Hill worked as a custodian while Peak was a substitute teacher, according to law enforcement officials speaking to reporters on March 27.
Metro Nashville Police release Body Camera footage of Officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo who responded to Covenant School Mass Shooting