Parents of Covenant School students were in court Monday, asking that documents related to the shooting in March not be released. The Tennessee Firearms Association, The Tennessean newspaper and state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, the Chattanooga Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, are suing to make the assailant’s writings public.
“If Sen. Gardenhire wants to see this file, he can drive to the TBI, and they will show it to him. So he didn’t need to file,” says Metro Law Director Wally Dietz. “We’re not trying to hide this from anybody, but there is some really sensitive information in there that we believe should not be produced based on school safety and the fact that there is still an ongoing criminal investigation.”
A spokesperson for Mayor John Cooper later said that Gardenhire would not have access to the documents, but that high-level lawmakers, such as Gov. Bill Lee and the speakers of the state Senate and House, would have access.
Dietz says that it’s common for police to classify documents related to ongoing cases.
Covenant School parents have said that they don’t want the documents to inspire future mass shooters.
Update: This story and its headline have been updated to reflect a statement from the Mayor’s Office. A spokesperson says that state Sen. Todd Gardenhire would not have access to documents in the Covenant School shooting case.
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