Three Children, Three Adults Dead After Nashville School Shooting
Three children and three adult staff members were pronounced dead after a shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in the Green Hills area of Nashville, Tenn., on Monday morning (March 27).
All three of the pediatric victims, as well as two of the adult victims, were transported to Vanderbilt University Hospital, where they were quickly pronounced dead. Additionally, the shooter is dead after being fatally shot by responding police officers.
The shooter and one additional adult victim were not transported to the hospital, meaning that they were likely pronounced dead at the scene.
"Three pediatric patients were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, all having suffered gunshot wounds," officials report, according to WTVF - NewsChannel5.
In the early afternoon on Monday, Nashville Metro Police Department Public Affairs Director Don Aaron delivered a brief update to press about the events surrounding the shooting.
Channel 5 has since reported that the shooter has been identified as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Hale.
First responders received a call at 10:13AM CT stating that there was an active shooter at The Covenant School. Officers entered the first story of the school and began clearing the floor when they heard gunfire coming from the second level of the building. When they went upstairs towards the gunfire, they saw the shooter and engaged them in gunfire. By 10:27AM, the shooter was dead.
One responding police officer sustained injuries to his hand from cut glass, but other than that, Aaron stated that there were no other injuries that he was aware of at this time. He also explained that the shooter was armed with "two assault type rifles and a handgun."
More information is expected to be forthcoming.
Students were bussed away from the school and reunited with their parents at the nearby Woodmont Baptist Church. Reporters at the scene described seeing five school busses of children arriving at the reunion area in the first couple of hours after the shooting. Some reporters who were at the area stated that some of the children were singing as they pulled up and got off the busses.
In the wake of the shooting, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn and Nashville Governor Bill Lee both issued statements. "My office is in contact with federal, state & local officials & we stand ready to assist," Blackburn writes on Twitter.
Several members from the country community also took to social media to comment on the devastating incident. Carly Pearce, Randy Houser and Cassadee Pope were a few of the artists who expressed their shock and horror at the news.
In addition to sharing her grief and horror in a separate tweet, Sheryl Crow replied to Sen. Blackburn's statement, writing, "If you are ready to assist, please pass sensible gun laws so that the children of Tennessee and America at large might attend school without risk of being gunned down."
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