The Covenant School, the private Christian educational establishment in which a gunman murdered three minors and three adults Monday morning, said they were in a state of utter shock.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper noted that the video of the police officers’ body cameras, along with footage from the security cameras of The Covenant School, could potentially be revealed to the public Monday evening.
The person responsible for murdering three pupils and three personnel members at the Tennessee Christian school Monday unleashed fire upon the police officers when they reached the building.
Images uploaded by the Nashville police displayed a police cruiser with its windshield appearing to have been demolished by a bullet.
A 28-year-old hailing from Nashville mercilessly shot and killed three young children and three adults on Monday at a private Christian elementary school, announced officials, leaving behind inscriptions and thoroughly crafted diagrams of the school and its safety protocols.
This heartbreaking episode of gun violence has befallen American families and communities, with the shooter opening fire at 10 a.m. at the Covenant School, situated in the prosperous Green Hills neighborhood, on the final full week of classes prior to the Easter vacation for students from preschool to sixth grade.
The shooter, later identified as Audrey E. Hale, infiltrated the building by shooting through a side door, equipped with two assault-style guns and a handgun, reported Chief John Drake of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, going to the second floor and releasing shots until they were eventually taken out by the police. Chief Drake confirmed that the assailant “at one point was a student” at the school.
Surveillance video released by the police Monday night showed the shooter driving up to the school in what the police specified as a Honda Fit. In the clip, two sets of glass doors break apart due to bullets before the perpetrator enters the building through the broken glass.
In a statement Monday night to NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville, the school said:
“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.”
