Background
On March 27, 2023 an active shooter forcibly made entry into a private elementary school in Green Hills, Tennessee. The suspect shot and and killed 3 children and 3 adults before being shot and killed by responding officers.
Attack Overview
Surveillance video released by the officials showed the shooter drive up to the school in what the police described as a Honda Fit. Upon arriving at the school, the suspect, wearing camouflage pants, a black vest and a backward red baseball cap shot through a side door to gain access to the inside of the building. Interior surveillance video shows the shooter tactically walking in and out of the church office and down a hallway past the children’s ministry.
Nashville Police arrived on scene within minutes of the 911 call and began clearing the building. The shooter was reportedly on the second level of the school and began firing through a window at arriving police cars. A team of officers then encountered the shooter in a common area. The shooter was fatally shot by two of the five responding police officers during the encounter.
The shooting lasted 14 minutes until 10:27 a.m, and took the lives of three children and three adults.
Suspect
The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale a 28-year-old woman from Nashville. Hale had no previous criminal record, but did previously attend the school several years earlier.
Motive
Investigators have yet to officially release a motive but have said this was a targeted attack with officials calling it "calculated and planned". Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake stated, "We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we're going over that pertain to this date. We have a map drawn out of how this was all gonna take place." Additionally he stated that Hale had "some resentment" for having to attend the school.
Additional Details
- The Covenant School is located inside a Presbyterian Church and serves preschool through 6th grade.
- No Metro Nashville Police officers or school resource officers were stationed at the school. As a private school, The Covenant School is responsible for its own security precautions.
- Chief John Drake described the weapons used in the attack as two "AR-style weapons" — a rifle and a pistol — in addition to another handgun. Authorities believe two of the weapons may have been obtained legally.
- Hale's home was searched by police Monday afternoon on Brightwood Avenue. Police found a manifesto and maps of The Covenant School along with a second location that Hale didn't reach. Several other weapons were also recovered inside the home.
- According to a police spokesperson, the shooter was a biological female, but a social media account linked to the shooter referenced the use of the pronouns he/him and used the name “Aiden.”
- The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, William Kinney, 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
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Targets of Opportunity
Investigators also found the shooter may have looked at targeting another location. Police Chief Drake said, Hale gave up on the idea after doing a “threat assessment” because the site had “too much security.”
We repeatedly see violent extremist select their target based on the likelihood they believe it will succeed, and inflict the most casualties. Violent extremists and terrorists prefer “soft targets,” people, information or facilities they believe they have a good chance of attacking successfully with little risk of interference by security forces.
To help deny them the opportunity to attack, be vigilant, practice good personal security habits, review and increase your security posture, and report suspicious behavior to authorities as soon as possible.
Pre-Attack IndicatorsWhile no profile or series of behavior can correctly predict whether or not an individual is on the pathway to violence 100% of the time, the FBI has studied pre-attack indicators of active shooters over the course of thirteen years and has noted several telling statistics.
• FBI - Pre-Attack indicators of Mass Shooters - 2000 - 2013 - Fact Sheet• FBI - Pre-Attack indicators of Mass Shooters - 2000 - 2013 - Full Report
