On Monday, March 27, 2023, 3 children and 3 adults were shot inside of Covenant School, in Nashville Tennessee. This marks the 39th school shooting in the U.S. this year, making gun violence the leading cause of death for children in the U.S..

Police have identified Audrey Hale as the shooter. Hale had bought 7 firearms, including 3 that were used in the attack and had been under treatment for an emotional disorder. Hale was a 28-year old who previously attended the Covenant School. Hale was additionally identified as a woman but authorities later clarified that Hale uses he/him pronouns.

Authorities say that at 10:13 ET, they received a call for an active shooter at the Covenant School.

Surveillance footage revealed that Hale drove into the school in a Honda and was dressed in camo-style pants, a white t-shirt, red hat, and black vest. Hale shot the glass of a side door and then crawled through the hole to get into the school. Hale was armed with two AR-style guns, a rifle, pistol, and a handgun.

Authorities were able to arrive at the scene within minutes after the first 911 call.

Officer Rex Engelbert arrived at school grabbing a weapon from the back of his vehicle and appearing to encounter a woman who was a staff member. The woman told Officer Engelbert that all the kids were in lockdown but they did not know where 2 of the students were, and described the layout of the school, adding that the students were upstairs.

Then multiple officers including Engelbert began searching the first two floors of the school as alarms went off. They checked multiple classrooms but the rooms are dark and the doors are locked. As they are checking the classrooms they hear muffled gunshots, and the officers run upstairs. Officer Engelbert encounters the shooter standing near a window. He fires four times, and the shooter collapses to the ground. Hale was killed 14 minutes after the initial emergency call.

Later on Monday, the 6 victims were identified as 3 children, and 3 adults.

Evelyn Dieckhaus (9)– Evelyn Dieckhaus was described by her family as “a shining light in this world”.

Hallie Scruggs (9)– Hallie Scruggs was the daughter of Covenant Presbyterian Church Lead Pastor Chad Scruggs and was described by her aunt that she had a “love for life” that bounded through her, from her smile to her “always on the go” spirit.

William Kinney (9)– Friends of the Kinney family described Will as having an “unflappable spirit” and “he was unfailingly kind, gentle when the situation called for it, quick to laugh, and always inclusive of others”. Friends of his family have set up a GoFundMe to help the Kinney family during this difficult time.

Cynthia Peak (61)– Cynthia Peak was a substitute teacher at the school. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee talked about the close relationship his wife (Maria) had with Cynthia Peak. And she was also close friends with Katherine Koonce who also passed away on Monday.

Katherine Koonce (60)– Katherine Koonce was the head of the Covenant School, she was described by former co-workers as having a great sense of humor and being very confident. She made sure that each person she encountered felt important and showed a great deal of humility.

Mike Hill (61) – Mike Hill was a custodian at the school, and was a father to 7 children. He loved to cook, and spend time with his family. He was known as “Big Mike” to students and was very loved at the Covenant School. Parents in Nashville have set up a GoFundMe to help Hill’s family pay for funeral expenses.

With so many school shootings many are calling for a ban on assault weapons and restricting who can buy guns. There have been 129 mass shootings in 84 days which is close to almost 2 shootings every day. At this point thoughts and prayers are not enough, we need to take and demand action and eliminate the root cause of gun violence in America.