Six Deaths in Nashville School Shooting

On Monday, March 26, 2023, at 10:10 am, a Christian Private school in Tennesee was attacked by a live shooter.

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, William Kinney, 9, Katherine Koonce, 60, Cynthia Peak, 61, and Mike Hill, 61, all went to Nashville’s Covenant School that day expecting to come home, but now parents will never get to see their kids again, spouses are now widows. These six were shot and killed by a shooter who entered the school that day. Audrey Hale was identified as the shooter, Hale is a 28-year-old transgender person who is a former student of Nashville’s Covenant School. The motive of the shooting has not been released by police. 

Northwest Junior Joseph Klaiber does not feel unsafe walking into school every day due to the trust he has in our officers. While he still believes this was a tragedy he feels safe in school. Klaiber stated, “I mean I feel we have stuff in place where we have a safe place to go if something like this happens. We also have cops. Yesterday we had people here because there was a threat that wasn’t even like for our school but just because the name North was in it they came here.”

9:53 AM- The shooter is seen on security camera footage arriving at the parking lot

9:57 AM- The shooter sends a message to a former classmate saying “I am planning to die today”.

10:10 AM- The shooter enters the school, the shooter is armed with 2 AR-Style rifles as well as a handgun and for the next 14 minutes children and teachers will be scared for their lives. 

10:13 AM- The 911 call comes in about the danger inside. 

10:21 AM- First responders arrive on the scene. In the next 3 minutes, they enter the school to stop the threat. 

10:23 AM- Officers enter the school and check each classroom quickly looking for the shooter.

10:24 AM- 5 officers arrive on the 2nd floor, the same floor as the shooter. The shooter is then shot multiple times. 

10:27 AM- The shooter is declared dead. 

The Nashville Chief of Police has stated, “this school, this church building was a target of the shooter.” Hallie Scruggs, 9, was the daughter of head pastor Chad Scruggs. William Kinney, 9, was very kind, a good son and a good friend. Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was known as a “shining light”. All of these children were shot and killed in their school on March 26, 2023. Police chief of Nashville stated, ​”We have no evidence that individuals were specifically targeted.” ​​

Angela Youngers is an English and Speech teacher at Waukee Northwest High School. She is a mom to two children, one who is a first grader and one who is in the daycare system through Northwest. Youngers stated, “A child losing their life is the most tragic scenario in my mind, and I do worry about what that would feel like to be in that situation, but honestly, I can’t think about it too much or it will become too debilitating.”

Police have released body-cam footage of every event from when they entered the school to the time that the shooter was killed. In the video, you can see one child’s body on the ground blurred out. At the end of the video, you can see the killer’s blurred-out body on the ground. Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran of the police force and marine corps vet., alongside his partner Nashville Police Officer Rex Engelbert, a four-year veteran of the department, can be seen in footage shooting and killing the shooter just before 10:30 that morning, ending the traumatizing experience for the students, teachers, and staff.

Lawmakers in Tennessee had approved legislation that removed requirements for permits and background checks, but they still look to loosen the gun laws after this event. State lawmakers have introduced gun-related bills that would allow permit holders to bring their weapons to college campuses and another that would allow school staff members to carry a firearm. Guns can only be taken from holders if they are a danger to themselves or others. 

The Police have released that the shooter had multiple firearms in their home, no criminal record and was being treated for an unspecified mental disorder. The shooter’s parents were aware of the person only having one firearm in the house, which they were told was later sold. The shooter and the parents of the person used to and still do attend the same church as some of the victims and their families. The writings found in the shooter’s home show that the school was not the only target that the shooter would have hit that day. 

Jelsie Van’T Hul has a sister who is 9 and goes to an elementary school in the Waukee district. Van’T Hul stated, “When I heard about the shooting in Nashville I was shown the video of the event. It was heartbreaking to see. I later found that the little girl’s body blurred out in the video was Evelyn Dieckhaus. She is 9 years old. I can’t even imagine my little sister having to run and pull the fire alarm to save her friends.”