Following the Monday morning mass shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood.
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A still image from surveillance video shows what the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department describe as mass shooting suspect Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, entering The Covenant School carrying weapons in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 27, 2023
The shooting, which marked the deadliest mass shooting in state history, left three children and three adults dead, in addition to the shooter, who was later identified as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Elizabeth Hale.
Killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, Cynthia Peak, age 61, Katherine Koonce, age 60, and Mike Hill, age 61.
10:13 a.m.
Hale, who had not yet been identified, entered a side entrance of the Covenant School, which houses grades K-6, according to Metro Police. He was armed with two assault rifles and a handgun and “shot out the glass” of the doors to get inside.
According to Metro Nashville Police Department, Hale had a detailed map of the school, and had conducted surveillance prior to Monday.
10:27 a.m.
While Hale’s path through the school is currently unknown, officer response was “swift,” according to Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the MNPD. By 10:27 a.m., officers were arriving on scene.
According to an official statement, Hale fired on arriving police vehicles from a second story window, blowing out the glass of the massive arched window.
Aaron added that, as officers moved in, they could hear “shots coming from the second level.”
Officers approached, and Hale was shot by the five-member police team in a second-floor lobby.
Between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Parents of students at Covenant School were notified of the shooting and asked to gather at Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunified with their children. As parents arrived, officials collected names of parents awaiting their children.
Around 11 a.m.
Patients began arriving at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Of the seven killed, five were transported to the campus: three children to the Children’s Emergency Center and two adults to the Adult Emergency Center. All arrived with heavy police presence, and all were later pronounced dead.
Noon
Busloads of children arrive at Woodmont Baptist Church. Several children stuck their heads and arms out of the open school bus windows, yelling and waving to the parents waiting for them. A string of students led by their teacher held hands as they walked from the bus to the church doors.
Inside the church sanctuary, parents were told by officials to line up and give their children’s names, grades and classrooms. Officials said children would be counted in a separate area of the church and taken individually to reunite with parents.
1 p.m.
Families continue to arrive at the Children’s Emergency Center, most with police escort. Sobbing and screaming could be heard in the parking lot of the hospital.
By 4 p.m.
All families gathered at Woodmont Baptist Church were reunited with surviving children, and the investigation—and the mourning—began.
Police later identified the shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale. Hale was a former student at The Covenant School, according to police.
Hale was an illustrator and graphic designer. Police said he was transgender, and he used male pronouns, according to social media. Police initially identified Hale as a woman.
Mourning begins for Nashville residents
Multiple vigils were quickly planned across the city, with overwhelming turnout.
In light of the mass shooting, Lauren Daigle’s exclusive album preview concert, previously scheduled for Monday night, was postponed. The event has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 5. All tickets for the originally scheduled date will be honored.
In place of the album preview, Daigle held a community prayer vigil, at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Marathon Music Works, 1402 Clinton St.
Another community vigil will be held Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Davidson Academy Prayer Garden, located at 1414 Old Hickory Blvd.
Police body camera footage to be released
MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron said police will remain at the scene processing evidence.
Aaron said body cam footage of the police response to the mass shooting will be released either Monday evening or Tuesday.