Nashville School Shooter Had Manifesto, Maps Of Building

NASHVILLE, TN — The heavily armed shooter who opened fire inside a private Nashville school Monday and killed six people before being fatally shot by police had maps of the building and a manifesto, according to law enforcement.

“This is the ultimate crime, when school children and caregivers are the victims of senseless gun violence,” Glenn Funk, the district attorney general for Nashville and Davidson County, said at a news conference streamed by WSMV.

Police identified the victims in The Covenant School shooting as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and Katherine Koonce, 60; Cynthia Peak, 61; and Mike Hill, 61.

Koonce was head of the school. Hill was a custodian and Peak was a substitute teacher, according to authorities.

"Just yesterday, I had the great privilege of worshipping with Dr. Katherine Koonce," tweeted the Rev. Dr. Mika Edmondson of Nashville's Koinonia Church. "Today, she went to be with the savior she loved while protecting the children she loved."

Law enforcement identified the shooter as Audrey Hale and said Hale was a 28-year-old woman who identified as transgender. An online profile shows Hale used he/him pronouns.

Five of the victims who were killed, including all three children, were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the hospital said. Police confirmed the sixth death.

“We expect them to live, learn, have fun and come back from that day's experience," Chief of Police John Drake said of the school children affected by Monday's shooting. "We don’t anticipate things like this.”

In a statement to WSMV, The Covenant School thanked first responders and asked for privacy.

"We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church," the statement said.

"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."

Hale was armed with at least two assault-style rifles and a handgun, police said. The shooter was a former student and law enforcement was at Hale's residence investigating Monday, according to Drake. Police made contact with Hale's father, who lived at the home on Brightwood Avenue, and investigators found detailed drawn maps of the school, Drake said. Police discovered material written by Hale in a Honda Fit that Hale drove to the campus.

Hale gained entry to the building by shooting out glass doors, according to police, who said Hale had no criminal history and no history of mental illness.

Drake did not give a specific motive when asked by reporters but gave chilling examples of the shooter’s prior planning for the targeted attack.

“We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident,” he said. “We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”

He said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe Hale had “some resentment for having to go to that school.”

Around 10:40 a.m., the Nashville Fire Department said there were "multiple patients" at The Covenant School, located at 33 Burton Hills Blvd.

Police received a call for an active shooter at 10:13 a.m. at the school, which is located at Covenant Presbyterian Church, authorities said. As officers responded to the campus, Hale fired on arriving police vehicles from a second-story window, according to law enforcement.

Officers entered the first floor, heard shots on the second level and went toward the gunfire, according to police, who said they found the shooter actively firing. Hale fired a number of rounds inside the building, police said.

Two officers with a five-member team fired at Hale, who was fatally shot at 10:27 a.m., according to police. Hale entered through the side door and traveled from the first to the second floor, firing multiple shots, police said.

The only injury mentioned by officials was an officer who hurt their hand on cut glass.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the officer-involved aspect of the incident. The agency's director, David Rausch, was among those who addressed the media Monday to ask for prayers for the victims.

“We believe in prayer and we believe in the power of prayer,” he said. “It’s a horrible senseless tragedy.”

President Joe Biden also spoke about the shooting Monday, commending police for a swift response, while calling on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and noting the need to prioritize the mental health of the surviving children and teachers.

“It’s heartbreaking, a family’s worst nightmare,” Biden said. “We have to do more to stop gun violence, it’s ripping our communities apart.”

Nashville Mayor John Cooper offered similar sentiments at a press conference Monday afternoon.

“The leading cause of kids' death now is guns and gunfire, and that is unacceptable,” he said. “Those guns stole precious lives from us today in Nashville."

Tennessee legislators took to social media to share condolences after the shooting.

"Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School," tweeted Sen. Bill Hagerty. "I'm grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions. I am monitoring the situation closely, and my office is in contact with local officials & available to anyone needing assistance."

The Covenant School is a private Christian school for children in preschool through sixth grade, according to its website.

"I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant, & the @TNDeptofSafety & @TNHighwayPatrol are assisting local law enforcement & first responders at the scene," Gov. Bill Lee tweeted. "As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.