Nashville school shooting – latest: Audrey Hale’s post about partner’s death revealed as motive still unknown

Jill Biden attended a candlelight vigil in Nashville on Wednesday night to honour the three children and three adults who were murdered at the Covenant school in the city.

Earlier it emerged that the shooting suspect, Audrey Hale, had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher.

Art college instructor Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a social media post from the shooter “openly grieving” the unknown individual and said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.

Three children aged nine – Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney – were shot dead on Monday, as were staff members Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill.

Meanwhile, Nashville police chief John Drake has said that Hale was “under doctor’s care for an emotional disorder” before the killings and had hidden seven legally purchased weapons at home.

Key Points

Tearful Melissa Joan Hart describes how she helped kindergarteners run to safety after Nashville shooting

06:04 , Graeme Massie

‘They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school,’ the actor says.

Amber Raiken has the details.

Melissa Joan Hart describes how she helped kids to safety after Nashville shooting

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant to raise assault weapons ban

05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

One of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Democratic rivals in the House interrupted her transphobic rant about the Nashville attack during a committee hearing in order to inject his own take on the shooting.

The moment occurred on Wednesday during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee, where the two battled in a mostly empty committee room over blame for the horrifying attack that left three adults and three young children dead at a school.

Police have identified the suspected shooter by their name at birth; Hale reportedly was a transgender man who used he/him pronouns, though law enforcement officials initially described the suspect as a woman in the aftermath of the shooting. Police did not provide another name but on the suspect’s social media accounts they refer to themselves as Aiden.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant

ICYMI: What we know about Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale

05:02 , Graeme Massie

To recap, a heavily armed 28-year-old killed six people at a Nashville elementary school in a devastating mass shooting on Monday morning.

Audrey Hale, a former student at the elementary school, allegedly entered The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, just after 10am.

Inside, the shooter opened fire on students and staff, killing six victims.

Students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, headmistress Katherine Koonce, 60, Cynthia Peak, 61, and Mike Hill, 61, all died in the attack.

Two responding police officers shot the suspect dead on the second floor just 14 minutes after arriving at the school.

What we know about the Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale

Democrat and Republican in Capitol shouting match over gun safety: ‘Calm down? Children are dying!’

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Two opposing US congressmen drew crowds of onlookers as they engaged in a blazing argument over gun control in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman had been giving a furious speech to reporters in a corridor outside the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, accusing the Republicans of inaction.

“They’re cowards. They’re all cowards! They won’t do anything to save the lives of our children,” yelled Mr Bowman, a former school principal.

Kentucky GOP representative Thomas Massie then tried to butt in, prompting a shouting match between the two men.

“You know, there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry [guns],” Mr Massie said.

Democrat and Republican in gun safety shouting match: ‘Calm down? Children are dying’

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme in wake of Nashville shooting

04:07 , Graeme Massie

Right-wing Arizona caucus leader says staffer was ‘threatening to shoot people Democrats disagree with less than 12 hours after Nashville shooting’.

Arizona governor’s aide takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville

03:05 , Graeme Massie

‘The right is the radicalized threat to public safety, not the LGBTQ community. Here are the receipts to prove it.’

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices

College football coach sheds tears as he calls for ‘change’ after Nashville school shooting

02:31 , Graeme Massie

Georgia Tech head football coach Brent Key, whose mother was a school teacher, became very emotional he spoke to reporters.

“Something has to change… somebody watching… please do something,” he urged.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

02:04 , Graeme Massie

White House press secretary says the lack of a response from the GOP is ‘unacceptable’.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Democrat and Republican in Capitol shouting match over gun safety: ‘Calm down? Children are dying!’

01:41 , Graeme Massie

New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman had been giving a furious speech to reporters in a corridor when Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie tried to butt in.

Democrat and Republican in gun safety shouting match: ‘Calm down? Children are dying’

ICYMI: Nashville students ‘randomly targeted’ in Christian school shooting, police confirm

01:02 , Graeme Massie

Metro Nashville police chief John Drake says investigators are still seeking an exact motive for Audrey Hale’s attack, having suggested the shooter harboured resentment against the institution.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant to raise assault weapons ban

Thursday 30 March 2023 00:01 , Graeme Massie

Far-right has latched on to identity of Nashville shooter to fuel transphobic hatred.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant

Permit no longer required to buy handgun in North Carolina

Wednesday 29 March 2023 23:43 , Graeme Massie

Previously residents needed a permit from their local sheriff to complete the purchase of a handgun.

But the Republican-controlled state legislature overrode the veto of Governor Roy Cooper on Wednesday, the first time in the state since 2018 reported the Associated Press.

The House voted 71-46 to implement the bill which removed the system whereby sheriffs carried out criminal background checks and character evaluations of anyone applying for a handgun permit.

Kevin McCarthy breaks silence on Nashville, no commitment to gun legislation

Wednesday 29 March 2023 23:27 , Graeme Massie

The Republican Speaker of the House was asked about the shooting, which left three children and three adults dead at a Christian elementary school in Tennessee, by CNN.

“We want to see all the facts, we need to get the facts,” Mr McCarthy, a lawmaker from California, told the news network Wednesday.

When asked what that meant, Mr McCarthy refused to make any further comment.

People pray during a community vigil held for the people killed during the Covenant School shooting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (AP)
People pray during a community vigil held for the people killed during the Covenant School shooting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (AP)

One of Nashville police heroes identified as former Marine Corps rifleman

Wednesday 29 March 2023 23:14 , Graeme Massie

Marine veteran Michael Collazo was one of the two Nashville police officers who ran towards gunfire and took down shooter Audrey Hale.

Officer Collazo served in the Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016 as an 0311 Infantry Rifleman, according to Task and Purpose.

He left the Corps as a sergeant and was last stationed with the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Division in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Officer Collazo has received the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Officials have said that both Officer Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert both shot at and took down the shooter at Covenant School on Monday.

Officer Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo (MNPD)
Officer Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo (MNPD)

Joe Biden considering Nashville trip

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:57 , Graeme Massie

The president said on Wednesday that planning was being done about a possible Tennessee trip.

“That’s underway now,” Mr Biden said. “We’re trying to figure that out.”

Mr Biden has previously visited Monterey, California, Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas following mass shootings.

Pictures of the victims killed in a mass shooting on Monday at The Covenant School are fixed to a memorial by Noah Reich from the non-profit Classroom of Compassion, near the school on March 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images)
Pictures of the victims killed in a mass shooting on Monday at The Covenant School are fixed to a memorial by Noah Reich from the non-profit Classroom of Compassion, near the school on March 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images)

Jill Biden to attend Nashville candlelight vigil

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:45 , Graeme Massie

The first lady will attend the Wednesday evening candlelight vigil to honour the victims of the Nashville shooting.

“Honored that @FLOTUS will attend this evening’s vigil as Nashville mourns and remembers the lives tragically taken from us,” the city’s mayor John Cooper tweeted Wednesday.

Pope ‘s office sends condolences to Nashville bishop

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:25 , Graeme Massie

“He joins the entire community in mourning the children and adults who died and commends them to the loving embrace of the Lord Jesus,” read the telegram from the Vatican secretary of state to bishop J Mark Spalding.

“He likewise invokes the consolation and strength of the Holy Spirit upon the grieving families and prays that they will be confirmed in their faith in the power of the Risen Lord to heal every hurt and to bring good out of unspeakable evil.”

How many schools shootings have there been this year after latest massacre in Nashville?

Wednesday 29 March 2023 21:33 , Graeme Massie

2023 could be among worst years in recent memories for school violence.

How many schools shootings have there been this year after Nashville massacre?

Incoming head of American Medical Association says colleague’s child was Nashville victim

Wednesday 29 March 2023 20:25 , Graeme Massie

“I’m livid. My colleague lost her child in the Nashville shooting. So this is personal,” tweeted Jesse Ehrenfeld.

“See our full plan on how we’re going to stop more shootings...Because thoughts and prayers will NEVER be enough.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted during transphobic rant

Wednesday 29 March 2023 20:17 , Graeme Massie

Marjorie Taylor Greene was interrupted as she gave a transphobic rant about the Nashville shooting during a House hearing.

The far-right wing Republican was taken to task by Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, who reminded her that six people were dead and it was the GOP who had got rid of the assault weapons ban.

Guns leading cause of death among children and teens in US

Wednesday 29 March 2023 19:44 , Graeme Massie

Data shows that guns have passed car accidents in 2020 as the leading cause of death among children and teens in the US, according to Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

And guns accounted for almost 19 per cent of deaths of those aged between 1 and 18 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The data shows that nearly 3,600 children died from guns in 2021, around five children for every 100,000 in the US.

“In no other similarly large or wealthy country are firearm deaths in the top 4 causes of mortality let alone the number 1 cause of death among children,” the KFF analysis stated.

 (AP)
(AP)

Community foundation raises $200,000 in 48 hours for victims

Wednesday 29 March 2023 19:02 , Graeme Massie

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee started the Caring for Covenant Fund that as of Wednesday morning had raised more than $203,000 from nearly 2,000 donations to “support the healing of those affected by this tragedy.”

 (AP)
(AP)

Photos show inside of shooter’s home

Wednesday 29 March 2023 17:45 , Graeme Massie

Photos published by The New York Post have shown the inside of the home where shooter Audrey Hale lived in the city with her parents.

Police have said that the brick Tudor-style home in the city is where Hale kept a secret stash of seven guns that her parents, who felt she should not own firearms, did not know about.

Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart says she helped kindergarteners escape Nashville attack

Wednesday 29 March 2023 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Melissa Joan Hart, the former teen star of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch television series, has taken to Instagram to claim in an emotional video that she and her husband helped a number of pupils from The Covenant School escape Monday’s attack.

The actress explained that she had been on her way to a parent-teacher conference at her own children’s school when they happened to see children racing away from the scene of Audrey Hale’s attack.

“We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway,” she told her followers, fighting back tears.

“They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school. So we helped all these tiny little kids cross the road and get [to] their teachers… We helped a mom reunite with her children.

“I don’t just don’t know what to say anymore. Enough is enough. And just pray. Prayer for the families.”

Hart explains in the short clip that she moved to Nashville from Connecticut, where she had lived close to Sandy Hook during that time of the notorious 2012 massacre there.

Senate chaplain calls for lawmakers to ‘move beyond thoughts and prayers’ after Nashville school shooting

Wednesday 29 March 2023 15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Senate chaplain Barry Black used his opening prayer as he opened Congress on Tuesday to move beyond thoughts and prayers after Monday’s deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Mr Black’s opened the gathering of lawmakers by saying: “When babies die at a church, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayer.”

Eric Garcia has the story.

Senate chaplain calls to ‘move beyond thoughts and prayers’ after Nashville shooting

Arizona governor’s press secretary takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

Wednesday 29 March 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s an update on the furore we reported on earlier over an ill-advised tweet from Arizona governor Katie Hobbs’s spokeswoman Josselyn Berry, which caused state Republicans to demand she be fired.

Gustaf Kilander has the latest.

Arizona governor’s aide takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

‘The sum of all fears’: Nashville and its religious schools grieve – and worry – after Monday massacre

Wednesday 29 March 2023 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Nashville’s airwaves were thick with emotion on Tuesday as the famed Music City struggled to come to terms with a school shooting that left three nine-year-olds and three adults dead a day earlier.

Mourners were placing flowers and cards at makeshift memorials near The Covenant School, where the shooting occurred, while religious leaders planned prayer vigils.

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn has this eyewitness report from a city struggling to come to terms with its grief.

Nashville and its religious schools grieve – and worry – after Monday massacre

Nashville school head teacher ‘ended Zoom call to confront shooter’ before being shot dead

Wednesday 29 March 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The head of The Covenant School in Nashville, who was one of the six victims of the shooting, confronted the shooter as soon as she heard of the incident, according to an official.

Katherine Koonce, 60, was on a Zoom call when she was informed of the shooting in her school, Nashville city councilman Russ Pulley told Fox News, citing a witness.

Mr Pulley said she “immediately ended” the meeting and did not hesitate to head straight to the shooter.

Stuti Mishra has this report.

Nashville school head ‘ended Zoom call to confront shooter’ before being shot dead

Audrey Hale’s disturbing art revealed as police say shooter drew ‘cartoon’ plan of Nashville school attack

Wednesday 29 March 2023 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Hale’s work ranges from the disturbing to the childlike, including a creepy drawing of Jack Nicholson in horror movie The Shining.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Audrey Hale’s disturbing art revealed after shooter drew ‘cartoon’ plan of attack

Lecturer recalls Audrey Hale crying on first day of college

Wednesday 29 March 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

A lecturer who taught Audrey Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville has given an interview to The New York Times in which she claims that Hale suffered an emotional outburst on her first day in class in 2017.

Maria Colomy told the newspaper that she recalled Hale bursting into tears of frustration after struggling to create a password for an online student portal, at which point Colomy advised the student to step outside and take a breath. Hale did so.

The instructor said she subsequently saw a Facebook post from Hale “openly grieving” the death of a romantic partner and asking to be addressed as “Aiden” from now on and by male pronouns.

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