Law enforcement has identified the perpetrator who assaulted students and educators at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old visual designer and artist from Nashville.
Hale had formerly attended the school and is thought to have been designated female at birth but recognized as transgender.
It was uncertain whether Hale recognized as a man or a woman. Hale possessed two assault-style rifles and a handgun, and detailed maps of the school and a manifesto were discovered at her residence.
Hale abandoned plans to target another school in the vicinity, which had too much security. Six individuals lost their lives in the assault.
It is unknown what motivated Hale to carry out the shooting. Hale’s LinkedIn profile lists employment as a part-time grocery shopper with the food delivery service Shipt and notes previous work as a cat sitter.
Hale graduated from Nashville’s Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022.
Hale’s mother, Norma Hale, is employed as a coordinator at a Nashville church. She expressed her difficulty with the situation and requested privacy.
A neighbor of the family mentioned that Audrey lived at the family home with her parents, who were very religious.
Females make up only 2% of mass shooters across the US, according to the Violence Project database, and Hale was the fifth female mass shooter in US history.
Law enforcement is probing into Hale’s motive and if gender identity was a factor.
A TikTok account linked to Hale, which has since been deleted, posted a tribute to a deceased friend on Feb. 9, and an apparent Facebook page belonging to Hale’s mother shows a link to a petition to keep guns out of schools.
Someone described Hale as a talented artist and a good student.
What took place during the Nashville school shooting?
The Metro Nashville Police Department released a video showing Audrey Hale walking through the hallways of The Covenant School in Nashville with an AR-style weapon and another weapon.
Hale had penetrated the school through a side door by shooting at it. Law enforcement received a call about an active shooter at 10:13 a.m., and responding officers discovered Hale on the school’s second floor, where she was killed at 10:27 a.m.
The victims were pronounced dead at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
She pointed the weapon at times and kept it lowered at others. The video portrays Hale entering various rooms, including the school’s Children’s Ministry area.
The shooting lasted for approximately 14 minutes and resulted in the deaths of six individuals, including three students and three faculty members.
Law enforcement officials shot and killed Hale at the scene, and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The motive for Hale’s attack is not yet known, and vigils were held in memory of the victims.
This incident underscores the ongoing issue of gun violence in the US and the necessity for more stringent gun control measures.
It is a topic that continues to divide the country, with some advocating for the right to bear arms and others calling for greater restrictions on firearms.
