Nashville school shooting: Police seize guns at home of attacker

Three children and 3 adults person been killed successful a shooting by an ex-student astatine a schoolhouse successful the US metropolis of Nashville, Tennessee.

The onslaught took spot astatine The Covenant School, a backstage Christian schoolhouse for students aged 3 to 11.

Three of the victims were pupils aged 8 oregon nine.

Police said the fishy gained introduction by shooting done a doorway astatine the school. A hunt of their location led to officers seizing much firearms.

The kid victims person been named arsenic Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

The big victims were named arsenic Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

The shooter has been identified arsenic 28-year-old Audrey Hale, officers said.

There has been immoderate disorder astir Hale's sex individuality - with constabulary initially describing the attacker arsenic a woman, and aboriginal saying that Hale identified arsenic transgender.

The fishy was equipped with 3 guns, including a semi-automatic rifle, and was changeable dormant by police.

Hale, who had nary transgression record, was a erstwhile pupil astatine the schoolhouse and officers judge "resentment" whitethorn person been a motive.

The shooter had a manifesto and had drawn a elaborate representation of the school, with introduction points. Police are present studying those documents.

Police received the archetypal telephone astir the incidental astatine 10:13 section clip (15:13 GMT) connected Monday.

The fishy drove to the schoolhouse and got successful by firing done 1 of the schoolhouse doors, which were each locked.

Video aboriginal released by Nashville constabulary amusement Hale utilizing a weapon to summation introduction by shattering solid panes connected the beforehand doors, past wandering the school's deserted corridors - astatine 1 constituent walking past a country labelled "Children's Ministry".

In the CCTV footage, Hale is wearing what looks similar a protective vest and carrying an assault-style firearm successful 1 hand, with a second, akin limb besides disposable hanging from the near hip.

Hale fired shots connected the crushed level earlier moving to the precocious floor.

As constabulary cars arrived, Hale fired connected them, striking 1 successful the windscreen, said police.

One serviceman was injured by breached glass. Police rushed wrong and changeable the fishy dormant astatine 10:27.

A hunt of a adjacent parked car led officers to "firmly believe" that Hale was a erstwhile pupil of the school, said police.

Police spoke with the attacker's begetter during a hunt of a adjacent location that was listed arsenic the shooter's address.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake said investigators determination recovered a manifesto and "a representation of however each of this was going to play out", including introduction and exit points astatine the schoolhouse building.

He besides said the shooter had conducted surveillance portion readying the attack.

In a hunt of the shooter's home, much weapons were recovered, successful summation to the ones utilized successful the attack, including a sawed-off shotgun and a 2nd shotgun.

Hale's mother, Norma Hale, told ABC News: "It is very, precise hard close now", earlier asking for privacy.

A constabulary spokesperson told Washington Post that Hale "is a biologic pistillate who, connected a societal media profile, utilized antheral pronouns".

The Presbyterian-affiliated Covenant School is located successful the upmarket Green Hills neighbourhood, southbound of cardinal Nashville.

In a statement, the schoolhouse said "our assemblage is heartbroken".

"We are grieving tremendous nonaccomplishment and are successful daze coming retired of the panic that shattered our schoolhouse and church."

The parent of 1 pupil said her lad had been near traumatised. "I deliberation he's doing amended present that helium knows that the shooter is dead," Shaundelle Brooks told BBC News.

"These are conversations we shouldn't beryllium having," she added. "We're failing our children."

Hours aft the shooting, a memorial work for the victims was held astatine the adjacent Woodmont Christian Church.

Senior curate Clay Stauffer tearfully said that Evelyn Dieckhaus was 9 years aged and her sister, 2 years older, had plans to beryllium baptised successful a fewer weeks, according to section outlet the Tennessean.

Evelyn's sister cried arsenic she said, "I don't privation to beryllium an lone child."

President Joe Biden called the shooting a "family's worst nightmare".

"We person to bash much to halt weapon violence," helium said, erstwhile again urging Congress to walk tougher weapon power laws. "It is ripping our communities apart, and ripping astatine the precise psyche of this nation."

The onslaught was America's 129th wide shooting of 2023, according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks weapon unit data.

According to information compiled by Education Week, determination person been 12 schoolhouse shootings that person resulted successful deaths oregon injuries successful the US this twelvemonth up until the extremity of past week.

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