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6 people, including children, were fatally shot at a Green Hills school. Police say the shooter is also dead.

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Courtesy MNPD
MNPD tells WPLN News that it received a shooting call Monday morning and that officers responded to the incident at Covenant School.
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Six people, including three students, are dead following a shooting at Covenant School in Green Hills on Monday morning.

Police have identified the victims. The three children were all age 9: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The adults were Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.

Police say the person responsible for the shooting, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, is also dead. MNPD says Hale is a transgender man.

This afternoon, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the parents of the children who were killed were notified.

“I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building,” he said.

Later Monday night, Covenant School released a statement of praise for first responders.

“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,” the school said. “We ask for privacy as our community grapples with this terrible tragedy — for our students, parents, faculty and staff.”

President Joe Biden ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset Friday, “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence.”

Marianna Bacallao WPLN News

Vanderbilt University Medical Center says the three pediatric patients were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, and pronounced dead after arrival.

While the motive is still unknown, police say Hale was a former student and was armed with two assault rifles, a handgun and “significant ammunition.”  Police also searched Hale’s home on Brightwood Avenue and seized a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other evidence.

“We have some writings that we are going over, that pertain to this day, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place,” Drake said. “There’s right now a theory that we may be able to talk about later, but it’s not confirmed. So we’ll put that out as soon as we can.” 

MNPD and the Nashville Fire Department responded to the scene at the school mid-morning.

MNPD says that at 10:13 a.m., the police department received a call about an active shooter at Covenant School.

“We went in as soon as it was safe for our responders to do so to try to provide life-saving efforts for those that were impacted by this incident and this tragedy,” said Kendra Loney with Metro Fire.

Police say Hale shot out a door to get into the school. As officers arrived, Hale fired at them from a second-story window.

MNPD says officers headed toward the gunfire and engaged the shooter.

Within 14 minutes of the initial call, the shooter was dead, police say.

Two officers fired shots: Officer Rex Englebert, who has been with MNPD four years, and Officer Michael Collazo, who has served nine years.

Covenant School is a private Christian school serving preschool through sixth grade since 2001. Law enforcement is telling parents to go to 2100 Woodmont Blvd. for family reunification.

WeGo, the city’s transit agency, says there may be delays on bus routes due to the incident, including on routes not near the Burton Hills area.

Courtesy Blake Farmer

Law enforcement vehicles gather on the parking deck on Burton Hills Boulevard, looking up at Covenant School at the top of the hill.

Lawmakers react

Karine Jean-Pierre, press secretary to President Joe Biden, addressed the shooting in the daily White House briefing.

“We want to express the president’s appreciation for the first responders and prayers for all the families affected by this shooting,” she said. “While we don’t know yet all the details in this latest tragic shooting, we know that too often our schools and communities are being devastated by gun violence.”

Soon after news of the shooting broke, prominent Tennessee elected officials began releasing statements.

Bob Freeman represents House District 56. The Covenant School is in his district.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy for the victims, all the children, families, teachers, staff and my entire community. I live around the corner from Covenant and pass by it often. I have friends who attend both church and school there. I have also visited the church in the past. It tears my heart apart to see this,” Freeman said. “I’m praying for my neighborhood, my city and my state. It is time to pull together and provide all the love and support that we can to those affected by this terrible catastrophe. It is time for serious action.”

State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, also released a statement via Twitter.

Echoing Yarbro, state Rep. John Ray Clemmons said, “Absolutely devastating and heart wrenching. Every parent’s worst nightmare. Tennessee family, please lift these families up in your prayers.”

Republicans, like House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Gov. Bill Lee, called for prayers.

“No harm should ever come to any child,” Sexton said. “At some point today, please take a moment to pray for the families impacted by this tragedy. As we continue learning more details, we appreciate law enforcement and first responders for their quick response neutralizing the threat.”

WPLN politics reporter Blaise Gainey has confirmed the General Assembly is hitting pause on proceedings Monday out of respect for the victims.

Congressman Andy Ogles, who represents the Green Hills area in the U.S. House, garnered attention Monday as a Christmas photo of him and his family holding guns circulated again on Twitter. Ogles put his response out on Facebook.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn said on Twitter, “Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist. Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.” 

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty praised the first responders.

 

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported early on, by the media or law enforcement, could later turn out to be wrong. WPLN News will have updates as the situation develops.

This story was last updated at 10:18 p.m. Monday.

Rachel Iacovone, Director of Multiplatform Publishing

Rachel Iacovone (YAH-kuh-VOAN-ee) is WPLN's Director of Multiplatform Publishing, which is a long way of saying she leads all the ways the news reaches you (this website, social media, This Is Nashville and more). She began her public radio career covering politics in Florida during the 2016 presidential race. In 2019, Rachel came to Nashville as a local Morning Edition, and later All Things Considered, host before her passion for data deep dives, visualizations, photography and social media storytelling pulled her off air and put her online fully.

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