Nashville school shooting updates: Rutherford Co. schools closed Monday for safety review

Nick Gray, Paul Skrbina, Melissa Brown and Frank Gluck, Nashville Tennessean
·4 min read
11

As a public service, The Tennessean has made this content free.

Recap: Three children and three adult staff members were killed Monday at Covenant School in one of Tennessee's deadliest school shootings. Audrey Hale, 28, entered the school at about 10:11 a.m. armed with a rifle. Officers who responded to the scene killed Hale about 14 minutes later. Video footage shows a timeline from when Hale first got to the school until police fired the fatal shots.

911 calls from inside the school released Thursday by Metro police give more details as to the timeline of the shooting, as do a pair of officer radio clips released by police.

Gov. Bill Lee said Friday he would propose a measure to increase school security measures statewide and was open to the idea of considering something similar to red flag laws, which has been enacted in other states including Florida.

Follow along here for live updates as we learn more about Monday's shooting.

15 MINUTES OF TERROR: How the Covenant School shooting and Nashville police response unfolded

EXCLUSIVE: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee moves to boost school safety funding, open to some gun reform after shooting

Comfort kits for Covenant School

Kris Wylder, a local Realtor and social-media personality, set out with a simple plan after the shooting at Covenant School — take care of those families.

What began as comfort kits for one Covenant class turned into $30,000 raised. Now, she hopes to schedule therapy dog and equine therapy sessions for Covenant School students and staff.

"It just kept growing and growing," she said. "Once a month we will check in with the families to provide anything that can offer comfort."

Wylder is still accepting donations via her Venmo account: kris-wylder7. She's reachable on Instagram @running.wylder.

Rutherford County Schools closed Monday for safety review

The Rutherford County Board of Education announced Saturday that all schools in its jurisdiction will be closed Monday for security reviews.

Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan said principals, teachers and support staff will use Monday to "debrief the situation that occurred in Nashville and review all safety procedures before students return," in a message to parents, students and staff.

The shooting Monday prompted many questions from parents and staff, Sullivan said, so they made the decision to extend Spring Break by a day to review those practices and policies.

THP says no arrests, property damage during Thursday's peaceful protest in State Capitol

Two Democratic state lawmakers on Friday criticized House Republican leadership's comparisons of Thursday's peaceful State Capitol protest over gun violence to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and other House Republicans have taken to the airwaves and social media to compare the event to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, which left several police officers injured and resulted in millions of dollars of damage.

But the Tennessee Highway Patrol said Friday the protest at the State Capitol on Thursday was peaceful, with no property damage or arrests. Democratic lawmakers noted as much and blasted Republicans for mischaracterizing the Tennessee residents who came to the Capitol.

"It was a loud demonstration but resolved peacefully," said Lt. Bill Miller, THP public information officer. "It was resolved with no arrests and no damaged property."

There is a planned student walk-out rally at the State Capitol planned for Monday morning.

Read more about what both state Democrats and Republicans had to say here.

Addie Brue, 16 and Madeline Lederman, 17, yell “Do something,” with other protesters as Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, Chairman of the House Republican Caucus, walks towards the House Chamber doors during at the State Capitol Building in Nashville , Tenn., Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Addie Brue, 16 and Madeline Lederman, 17, yell “Do something,” with other protesters as Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, Chairman of the House Republican Caucus, walks towards the House Chamber doors during at the State Capitol Building in Nashville , Tenn., Thursday, March 30, 2023.

Nashville Predators will wear Covenant School patch on jerseys for rest of season

The Predators will wear patches of The Covenant School's seal on their jerseys for the rest of the season, starting with Saturday's home game against the St. Louis Blues, to honor the victims of Monday's shooting.

It'll be the Preds' first home game since the shooting.

Coaches and broadcasters from each team will be wearing red and white ribbons during the game. The Predators also encourage fans to wear red and white, the colors of The Covenant School, at Saturday's game.

The Predators will wear "Smashville Strong" shirts as they enter Bridgestone Arena, and the team plans to have a moment of silence to honor those affected by Monday's shooting.

The Predators and Blues are scheduled for a 1 p.m. puck drop on Saturday.

The Nashville Predators will wear shoulder patches bearing The Covenant School seal in honor of those affected by Monday's shooting at the school.
The Nashville Predators will wear shoulder patches bearing The Covenant School seal in honor of those affected by Monday's shooting at the school.

Who were the victims of The Covenant School shooting?

Police identified the victims of the shooting on Monday afternoon as:

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville school shooting news: safety review Monday in Rutherford County