On Monday morning a shooter entered the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee and shot and killed six individuals before police officers engaged with and killed the murderer. The shooter was soon identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a Nashville resident and former student who identified as a transgender woman. Hale killed three students and three adults, including the head of the school,

The Covenant School is a private Christian grade school for students up to 6th grade, according to its website. Officials say Hale was identified as a woman carrying two AR-style weapons, including a rifle and pistol, and a handgun.

Nashville police Chief John Drake said Hale possibly prepared for the shooting, including having written a manifesto. “We have also determined that there were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance entry points. At one point she was a student at that school,” he said. “There was a vehicle nearby that gave us a clue as to who she was.”

Drake added that two of the weapons may have been purchased legally in the Nashville area. Investigators have been searching a home associated with Hale and are probing a possible theory for a motive but did not disclose any details.

Fox News reports the Nashville branch of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has also deployed agents to assist the MNPD in responding to the attack.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a statement regarding the attack on Monday.

“In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you. As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals.”

We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School.
We can confirm we have multiple patients.
Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time. this is an active scene.

— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) March 27, 2023

Fox News also reported:

Police say the shooter entered the building through a side door and fired shots before moving to the second floor, where Hale was confronted by responding officers. They don’t believe she was wearing any body armor, authorities said.

Officials at the medical center say three young students were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds. All three were pronounced dead after arrival. The three more adults were also pronounced dead following the attack. All three were staff at the school.

The victims were identified by police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and 61-year-old Mike Hill. Koonce was the head of school at Covenant, according to the school’s website.