Everything we know so far about Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale
The heavily armed shooter believed to have killed three adults and three students at a Nashville, Tenn. private school was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale — a 28-year-old former student who may have harbored “resentment” toward The Covenant School.
Bodycam footage shows police shooting Hale on the second floor of the Christian campus, which teaches 200 students ranging from preschool through sixth grade. Five officers were involved in Monday’s 14-minute exchange, according to police. The shooter was neutralized shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Hale was armed with a pair of assault rifles and a handgun, authorities said. At least two of the guns appeared to have been obtained legally.
When Hale attended The Covenant School and for how long in unclear. However, “there’s some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school,” Police Chief John Drake told NBC News. A neighbor of Hale’s parents described the family as “very religious.”
According to police, Hale — who was being treated for an undisclosed emotional disorder — purchased at least seven guns in recent years.
Firearms recovered from the crime scene appear to have been personalized. One of the rifles had “Aiden” spelled across its grip, which was a name Hale was also known to use. Cops said Hale “was assigned female at birth,” but used “male pronouns on a social media profile.”
A since-deleted LinkedIn profile appeared to indicate Hale was an illustrator who attended Nashville’s Nossi College of Art & Design and used the pronouns “he/him.”
The school confirmed to the Daily Beast that Hale “was a talented artist and a good student” who graduated in 2022.
Drawings on Hale’s website include a rendering of actor Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Shining,” who goes mad and tries to kill his family with an ax. The illustration includes the word “Red Rum” — murder spelled backwards. A character in “The Shining” who can see into the future uses that term as Nicholson’s character mentally and emotionally deteriorates.
Police believe Hale acted alone. Law enforcement said the shooter was in possession of a “detailed” map of the school and had a manifesto.
“We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident,” Drake told reporters. “We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”
Averianna Patton — who played basketball with Hale — told Nashville’s News Channel 5 she got an Instagram message from the shooter shortly before the killing began.
“I’m planning to die today,” the message said. “THIS IS NOT A JOKE!”
The message to Patton revealed Hale left “more than enough evidence” explaining what was about to happen, which Hale assumed would attract news coverage.
“I love you,” Hale concluded. “See you again in another life.”
Hale then signed off as Audrey, followed by “Aiden” written in parenthesis.
The Covenant School carnage was modest compared to the body counts in some other school shootings. However, Hale likely had further chaos in mind, Nashville police said.
“We strongly believe there was going to be some other targets, including maybe family members, and one of the malls here in Nashville,” Drake told “CBS Mornings.”
Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood, where Monday’s massacre unfolded, is rife with commercial venues. There’s at least one shopping mall within two miles of The Covenant School.
With News Wire Services
