At Least 7 Dead in Nashville Elementary School Shooting
AllSides Summary
A shooter killed at least three children and three adults at the Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday.
The Details: Police identified the shooter as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Hale, a former student of the school. Hale died after being shot by police. Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the shooter may have held "some resentment" toward the school, and that they left behind a manifesto and other writings pertaining to the attack. Drake also said officials feel that Hale "identifies as trans, but we’re still in the initial investigation into all of that and if it actually played a role into this incident." Police said Hale carried two "assault-type rifles" and a handgun. Authorities released surveillance footage of the event on Tuesday.
For Context: This is the 129th U.S. mass shooting (with a minimum of four victims shot, not including the shooter) in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive — and the 13th school shooting this year, according to Education Week’s (Center bias) tracker.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was prominently featured across the spectrum into Tuesday afternoon. Some headlines from the right emphasized that the shooter was transgender. Others highlighted that the shooting occurred at a private school; a New York Post (Lean Right bias) homepage tagline read, “PRIVATE SCHOOL KILLER.” Updated 3/28/23 at 4:08 p.m. with more details and to correct possible mischaracterization of the shooter's gender identity.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Nashville school shooting: Beloved school head among victims
A school head, a custodian and a substitute teacher are among the victims of a shooting that has left six dead at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Three staff members and three pupils were killed in the attack by a 28-year-old former student at the Covenant School on Monday.
The three children, all aged nine, have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.
The three employees killed were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61.
Police said they did not believe any of the...
From the Left
3 children and 3 adults are dead in a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville
Three children and three adults were killed in a shooting at a private religious school in Nashville, authorities said.
The shooter, who police said was a 28-year-old from the Nashville area, was shot dead by two officers. Police initially identified the shooter as a woman but a spokesperson later told WPLN's Alexis Marshall that the shooter was assigned female at birth and used he/him pronouns.
The shooting occurred at The Covenant School. The three children who died were students, and the three adults who died were staff members, Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron...
From the Right
‘Resentment’ may have driven Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale: chief
Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale may have been driven to kill by “resentment,” according to the city’s top cop.
Police have said Hale was a former student at the Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school, where Hale slaughtered three 9-year-old students and three adults Monday morning before police closed in and killed her.
But they have yet to pinpoint a clear motive.
“There’s some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school,” Police Chief John Drake told NBC News’ Lester Holt on Monday evening. “Don’t have all the details...
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