A former student of a Christian elementary school in Nashville killed three adults and three children with an AR-style rifle and two other firearms. The attacker, identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, was killed by the police during the attack on Monday. The police found detailed maps of the school outlining how the attack would occur. The authorities are currently trying to determine the reasons for the attack, and have interviewed Hale’s father, and searched the shooter’s house, finding a sawed-off shotgun and other evidence. According to the police, Hale was someone who was “prepared to do more harm than was actually done”.
The shooting incident resulted in a long list of US schools marked by gun violence, and it marked the deadliest school shooting in nearly a year. The victims included three children who were only nine years old, as well as Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill, who were adults.
The attacker had previously scouted a second possible location for attack, and writings reveal that the attack was calculated and planned. Metro Nashville Police revealed that Hale had left writings about the shooting. The shooter was a graduate of Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, and her LinkedIn profile indicated that she worked as a freelance graphic designer and a part-time grocery shopper.
The police commended the five officers who responded quickly to the attack. The school had prepared for such a possibility with active shooter training, and the children were evacuated and reunited with their families.
This attack was the 19th school or university shooting in which at least one person was wounded so far in 2023, according to a CNN tally. The incident has left the Nashville community shaken, and it highlights the need to take action to address gun violence in the US.