Horrifying scenes unfolded Monday at Covenant Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee. A heavily armed woman shot and killed six people, including three nine-year-old children. Police have now released body camera footage of the officers who first rushed to the students’ aid and eventually shot the gunman.
Police were called around 10 a.m. Monday morning. “When officers got to the second floor, they saw a gunman, a woman, shooting,” said Don Aaron of the Nashville Police Department. The footage shows how police officers risk their lives combing the school building and eventually confront the gunman in a reading corner on the first floor.
“We have prevented worse things”
“We know she was armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun.” The 28-year-old was then shot dead by the emergency services. This prevented worse things, Nashville police chief John Drake later made clear. According to the police, the three killed adults are school employees and would be in their early sixties.
Flags flown at half-mast across the country
US President Joe Biden has ordered flags across the country to be flown at half-mast Friday evening in honor of the victims of “this senseless act of violence”. The order applies to the White House, all public buildings, military installations and the US embassies.
Covenant Elementary School is a private Christian school located on a green hill in Nashville – the capital of Tennessee with a population of nearly 700,000. The gray stone school buildings are set in a peaceful forest. The school teaches children from first to sixth grade. There is also a kindergarten there. According to the local newspaper The Tennessean, about 200 children are cared for here. The facility advertises a Christian mission and offering the children a safe place where they can develop freely.
Other crime scenes can also be targeted
The investigators are now evaluating material that could provide information about the motive of the shooter, who has now been identified as Audrey Hale (28). “We have a manifesto, we have some writings pertaining to this day, this incident that we are reviewing,” said Chief Constable Drake. Maps of the school were also found, on which surveillance cameras and entrances, among other things, were drawn.
The gunman smashed through an exterior glass door and gained entry. Police have released surveillance camera footage showing them entering the school with their weapons raised. According to police, the woman had more ammunition with her and may have wanted to attack other crime scenes as well. Hale himself had been a student at the facility. Authorities say she self-identifies as transgender.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
