Audrey Hale, the shooter responsible for the tragic attack at Nashville's Covenant School, fired 152 rounds during the 14-minute assault that left six people dead, as disclosed by officials. According to authorities, the transgender assailant meticulously planned the attack for months before storming the private elementary school on the morning of March 27.
The Metro Nashville Police Department stated, "In the collective writings by Hale found in her vehicle in the school parking lot, and others later found in the bedroom of her home, she documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at the Covenant School." Police also announced that Hale, 28, had studied the actions of other mass murderers and fired 152 rounds using two assault rifles and a pistol during the attack.
Officials revealed that although the school was targeted, the victims were not specifically chosen. Before executing the Covenant massacre, Hale investigated other locations, including two public schools. Surveillance footage from the school's exterior displayed Hale shooting into the locked side doors and entering through the broken glass.
As 911 calls flooded in, Hale was seen prowling the school's empty halls. The released 911 calls capture the terror experienced by students and staff hiding from the armed attacker. Police body camera footage displays MNPD officers entering the building and confronting the shooter within minutes. Officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo each fired four rounds, ultimately killing Hale.
Nine-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney were among the victims, along with school janitor Mike Hill, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, and headmistress Katherine Koonce, who reportedly ran toward the shooter in an attempt to protect the school.
A local official informed The Post that the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is examining Hale's manifesto. The investigation into Hale's potential motive is still ongoing.
