Who are the Nashville school shooting victims?

Three children, three adult victims killed in Nashville school shooting at Covenant School, police say

Memorial for victims of mass shooting set up outside Covenant School

Nashville police have identified the six people, three young children and three adults, who were killed in a mass shooting at a private Christian school on Monday.

TAKE A TIME OUT TO PRAY FOR THEM TO BE IN PEACE WITH GOD.

IMAGINE GOING TO SCHOOL TO TEACH AND TO LOSE YOUR LIFE, IT SURE WAS NOT THE PAYCHECK…. IT WAS THE KIND HEARTS OF GOOD PEOPLE WHO SACRIFICE MONEY FOR FULLFILLMENT. THOSE ARE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO TEACH! THEY HELPED ME BECOME RICH ONLY TO REALIZE GOD IS MOST IMPORTANT!

IMAGINE BEING THE CHILD, ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS HAVE FUN AND PLAY  WITH YOUR FRIENDS, BUT YOU END UP DEAD!

IMAGINE THE PARENTS, WHAT LOSS THEY FEEL

Below are the victims of the Nashville school shooting:

• Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9

• William Kinney, 9

• Hallie Scruggs, 9

• Mike Hill, 61

• Cynthia Peak, 61

• Katherine Koonce, 60

Mike Hill, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Hallie Scruggs, 9, were killed in the Nashville school shooting, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Fox News)

The victims were shot and killed when Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a 28-year-old transgender former student of the Covenant School, entered the premises with two “assault-type rifles” and a handgun and began firing, police said.

The shooter was killed by responding Metropolitan Nashville Police Officers Rex Englebert and Michael Collazo.

Numerous local churches held prayer vigils Monday evening and several more are scheduled in the coming days to pay respects to the victims and offer the community’s support for their families, according to local FOX affiliate WZTV.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: OFFICERS TOOK OUT TRANNY SHOOTER 

Robin Wolfenden prays at a makeshift memorial for victims outside the Covenant School building at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 28, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

“My heart goes out to the families of the victims,” said Mayor John Cooper. “Our entire city stands with you.”

The following is what is known about the victims so far.

Evelyn Dieckhaus

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was a third-grader at the Covenant School! , WTF is society been teaching, How could someone shoot a innocent little child?

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was a third-grader at the Covenant School! RIP LITTLE ONE, GOD HAS YOU NOW!

Her older sister, a fifth-grader, spoke at a vigil for the victims held Monday night at Woodmont Christian Church, where the family attends worship services.

Evelyn’s sister cried as she said, “I don’t want to be an only child,” according to The Tennessean.

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9-years-old, was a student at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. She was one of six victims killed in a school shooting on March 27, 2023.

“One of the 9-year-old victims of the Nashville school shooting goes to my church,” Woodmont church member Sarah Drury wrote on Facebook. “Her name is Evelyn Dieckhaus. She was adorable. I taught her equally angelic big sister in Sunday school.”

“Her mom Katy volunteered in our children’s ministry… such a sweet Christian family,” Drury continued. “We had a prayer vigil tonight at our church. We are, the whole city, saturated in grief. Now. It’s time to marry prayer and grief with action.”

“It has been a hard day,” Woodmont Baptist Church senior pastor Nathan Parker said. “We are sad. Sad for the families who came rushing to our church. Sad for those whose lives will never be the same because of the trauma inflicted on them. Sad because we live in a world broken by sin, suffering and death.”

Parents comfort each other as they wait outside Woodmont Baptist Church for students from the Covenant School to arrive after a mass shooting at the school on Monday, March 27, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean)

William Kinney

William Kinney was a 9-year-old student at the Covenant School.

Hallie Scruggs

Hallie Scruggs was the 9-year-old daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, the pastor told local news station WKRN.

“We are heartbroken. She was such a gift. Through tears, we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus, who will raise her to life once again,” the girl’s father said.

The Covenant School operates as a ministry of Nashville’s Covenant Presbyterian Church.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED, INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, SHOOTER DEAD

Hallie Scruggs, 9, was killed in the Nashville school shooting, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Fox News)

Katherine Koonce

Dr. Katherine Koonce, 60, was the head of the Covenant School.

Her niece, Heather Benge, wrote on Facebook that Koonce “was a kind person and a fearless teacher and I can see by the pure amount of love being shown towards her (and our family) right now that she touched the lives of many.”

“She was a beacon of light, a faithful servant and will be missed greatly,” Benge wrote. “Please keep my family in your prayers as we navigate the coming days and also for the families of the other victims. School shootings MUST stop. NO ONE deserves to feel the pain so many of us are feeling tonight.”

Katherine Koonce, 60, was killed in the Nashville school shooting, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Fox News)

In a statement on the school’s website, Koonce described the mission of the Covenant School as “more than simply educating our students.”

“We are participating in the miracle of their development and seeing them transform into who they will be,” Koonce wrote. “Impactful teaching methods and programs, daily all-school chapel, and school-wide service-learning are the backdrop for the real work — helping children become who God intends them to be.”

Before coming to the Covenant School, Koonce was academic dean at Christ Presbyterian Academy for seven years and director of learning services at the school for eight years prior. She held a doctorate degree in education from Trevecca Nazarene University, a master’s degree from Georgia State University, and a bachelor’s degree in education from Vanderbilt University, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Emily Anderson, a pastor at New Providence Presbyterian Church who says she was friends with Koonce for more than four decades, wrote in an online tribute that Koonce “died rushing in to protect children.”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever met a more purely decent and loving human being. Certainly no one who was more passionate about children and education,” Anderson wrote on Facebook.

Cynthia Peak

Cynthia Peak, 61, was a beloved wife, mother, and substitute teacher killed in Monday’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.  (The Peak Family)

Cynthia Peak, 61, was a substitute teacher working at the school.

“Our hearts are broken to confirm the loss of our beloved Cindy Peak. Cindy was a pillar of the community, and a teacher beloved by all her students,” the Peak family said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Her favorite roles in life were being a mom to her three children, a wife to her husband, and an educator to students. We will never stop missing her. We are grateful for the hope of Heaven. She never wavered in her faith, and we know she is wrapped in the arms of Jesus. Our hearts go out to all the victims’ families as we grieve this horrific tragedy.”

Michael Hill

Michael Hill, 61, was a custodian at the school, according to police.

Tim Dunavant, a pastor at Hartsville First United Methodist Church who knew Hill, said he hired Hill at the Covenant School 13 years ago when he was in charge of the school kitchen.

Mike Hill, 61, was killed in the Nashville school shooting, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Fox News)

“I don’t know the details yet. But I have a feeling, when it all comes out, Mike’s sacrifice saved lives. I have nothing factual to base that upon. I just know what kind of guy he was. And I know he’s the kind of guy that would do that,” Dunavant wrote in an online post. “Goodbye Mike, I’m going to miss those encouraging texts out of the blue from you.”

A GoFundMe page for the Hill familywas set up by Nashville resident Anne Puricelli. The page states that Hill was the “beloved father of eight children” and was known as “Big Mike” to students of the Covenant School.

The Hill family said Mike took great pleasure and found tremendous joy in his job and through those students. Money raised by the GoFundMe page will be put toward funeral services and other expenses, according to the fundraiser.

By Chris Pandolfo | Fox News

Nashville shooting victims included 9-year-old children, head of school

Police have identified the three children and three adults who were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood on Monday morning.

Authorities identified the children as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9-years-old, and the adults as Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

The Nashville Presbytery confirmed to CBS News that 9-year-old Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

All three adults worked at the school. Hill worked as a custodian, Peak was identified by authorities as a substitute teacher and Koonce is listed as head of school on the school’s website.

Police have identified the shooter as a former student at the school: 28-year-old Audrey Hale, from Nashville. Authorities released body camera footage Tuesday of police officers responding to the shooting and taking down the assailant.

“We feel that these students who were targeted were randomly targeted,” said Nashville Police Chief John Drake on Tuesday.

Don Aaron, the director of media relations at the police department, clarified that while there is “no evidence that individuals were specifically targeted” in the shooting, “this school, this church building was a target of the shooter.”

“But we have no information at present to indicate that the shooter was specifically targeting any one of the six individuals who were murdered,” Aaron said.

The shooter’s parents were under the impression that the shooter had at one time owned a weapon but sold it, Drake said, adding that the parents did not know the shooter was in possession of other weapons after that.

Police determined the shooter had hidden “several” weapons in the home, he said.

The shooter entered The Covenant School through a side door and traversed the building, moving from the first floor to the second floor and “firing multiple shots,” Aaron said.

Responding officers saw the shooter firing on the second level, and at that point, they “engaged,” Aaron said. The shooter was fatally shot by two of the five responding police officers at the scene, he said.

Covenant, founded in 2001, is a private Christian school with 33 teachers and up to 210 students starting in preschool through 6th grade, according to the school website.

source

Custodian killed in Nashville school shooting had a heart for kids, his family says

“Every last one of us, all seven — we all received those ‘I love you’ texts, those random ‘I love yous,’” Brittany Hill said. “I’m going to miss those, I really am. I’m going to miss those random ‘I love yous.'”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Big Mike. That’s how students of Covenant School in Nashville knew and will remember custodian Michael Hill who was one of six people killed in a school attack Monday.

“My dad loved children, absolutely adored children,” Brittany Hill told NBC News on Thursday.

“All of the messages we have received, through Facebook and Instagram and text messages — were all about how the kids loved Big Mike,” she said.

Michael Hill, 61, was a religious and praying man who was known for corny “dad jokes” and the pet names he adored calling his seven children, they said.

Catie Beck interviews members of Michael Hill’s family, from left, Brittany Hill, Tawana Garner, Marquita Oglesby, and Joshua Smith. (NBC News)© NBC News

Hill was one of three adults and three children killed Monday when an assailant armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun attacked the school.

The 28-year-old shooter was killed by police, and authorities have not released a motive, if one is known.

Hill’s family waited with other victims’ relatives after the incident, until a police chaplain and officers confirmed he had been killed.

“We were actually waiting for it to be confirmed, but we knew prior,” daughter Tawana Garner said Thursday. “I knew immediately when he didn’t answer the phone.”

Although family members never got a chance to say goodbye to Michael Hill, his messages to them remain. He often texted them, and at least every few days, the message would say “I love you.”

“Every last one of us, all seven — we all received those ‘I love you’ texts, those random ‘I love yous,’” Brittany Hill said. “I’m going to miss those, I really am. I’m going to miss those random ‘I love yous.'”

source

Police found hand drawn maps of the Covenant school with detailed entry points at Hale’s residence in Nashville

Nashville police ID school shooter, say incident was a targeted attack

Nashville police identified the shooter who opened fire on Monday morning at The Covenant School as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, a transgender former student at the private Presbyterian school.

Three children and three adults were murdered in the shooting: Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, William Kinney, 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

Nashville police chief John Drake identified Hale as a transgender woman on Monday afternoon, but Hale listed “He/Him” pronouns on a LinkedIn profile.

Audrey Hale was identified by police as the gunman who opened fire at the Covenant School on Monday morning, killing six people.

Metro Nashville Police Department release a video of 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale carrying out a shooting at Covenant school on March 27, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

Hale allegedly shot through a locked door around 10:13 a.m. to gain entry to the school while armed with two rifles and a handgun, then climbed the stairs to the second floor and opened fire.

Two Nashville police officers entered the school and went to the sounds of gunfire, where they fatally shot Hale around 10:27 a.m., according to police.

Drake said that a nearby vehicle gave investigators clues to the shooter’s identity.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, SHOOTER DEAD

Who are the Nashville school shooting victims?

The trans movement is targeting Christians

Hale’s home address is about three miles away from the Covenant School, according to public records. The FBI, ATF, and local police cordoned off that home with crime scene tape on Monday afternoon.

Investigators found a “manifesto” and other writings that they are looking into as they search for a motive.

Hand drawn maps of the school with detailed entry points were also located at the residence.

A LinkedIn profile and personal website that appear to be affiliated with Hale describe her as a graphic designer who creates logos for businesses.

She graduated from Nossi College of Art & Design with a degree in illustration and graphic design last year, the school confirmed.

“While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student,” Nossi College of Art & Design President Cyrus Vatandoost told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, to the victims and their families and to our city.”

The Covenant School, which was founded in 2001, caters to pre-school through 6th grade students and is located southwest of downtown in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood. It wasn’t immediately clear what years Hale attended the school. source

Nashville school shooting: 6 killed including 3 students, shooter dead

A 28-year-old woman who was a former student at the Nashville Christian school was identified as the shooter

A shooting at a Tennessee private Christian grade school left three students and three adults dead, including the head of the school, Monday and the shooter was killed by police, authorities said.

The victims were killed in the attack at the Covenant School, authorities said. Nashville police say officers engaged with and killed the shooter, identified as a 28-year-old female carrying two “assault-type rifles” and a handgun.

The shooter was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a Nashville resident, who identified as a transgender woman. Investigators were investigating a home connected to her. Nashville police Chief John Drake said Hale possibly prepared for the shooting, including having written a manifesto.

Nashville police respond to a shooting at Covenant School in Tennessee. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

Law enforcement officers lead children away from the scene of a shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday March 27, 2023. (Jozen Reodica via AP)

Police cordon off an area after reports of a shooting at The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)

Police say the shooter entered the building through a side door and fired shots before moving to the second floor, where Hale was confronted by responding officers. They don’t believe she was wearing any body armor, authorities said.

A search of a Honda Fit driven by Hale to the school campus yielded “additional material,” police said. Hale also allegedly fired at responding police vehicles from a second-story window.

An image of a windshield that was shot at by Audrey Hale as police officers arrived to the school campus, police said.  (Nashville Police Department)

Hale was armed with two AR-style weapons, including a rifle and pistol, and a handgun. Two of the weapons may have been purchased legally in the Nashville area, Drake said. Investigators were probing a possible theory for a motive but did not disclose any details.

Officials at the medical center say three young students were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds. All three were pronounced dead after arrival. The three more adults were also pronounced dead following the attack. All three were staff at the school.

A Honda Fit driven by Audrey Hale to the Covenant School has “additional material,” police said.  (Nashville Police Department)

The victims were identified by police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and 61-year-old Mike Hill. Koonce was the head of school at Covenant, according to the school’s website.

“My heart breaks with news of the school shooting at The Covenant School this morning,” Rev. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville said in a statement. Let us pray for the victims, their families, and the Covenant Presbyterian community.”

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Assistant Chief Dwayne Greene speaks to the media regarding a shooting at The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)

“We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School. We can confirm we have multiple patients,” the Nashville Fire Department said Monday. “Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time, this is an active scene,” the statement continued.

The Metro Nashville PD confirmed the shooter’s death in a statement, adding that the school was already working on reunifying parents and children a safe distance away from the Burton Hills Blvd the school is on.

“An active shooter event has taken place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Burton Hills Dr. The shooter was engaged by MNPD and is dead. Student reunification with parents is at Woodmont Baptist Church, 2100 Woodmont Blvd.,” the department wrote in a statement.

The only reported injury following the attack was an officer who suffered a glass wound to his hand.

The entrance to Covenant Presbyterian Church, which hosts the Covenant School, where police responded to a mass shooting. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)

Police cordon off an area after reports of a shooting at The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)

Police cordon off an area after reports of a shooting at The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital )

The Nashville branch of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has also deployed agents to assist the MNPD in responding to the attack.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a statement regarding the attack on Monday.

“In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you. As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals.”

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said his agency is assisting local authorities.

Hale entered the school after shooting out the glass doors, police said.  (Nashville Police Department)

“I know there are people who will criticize us for prayers but that’s the way we do it in the south.”

Other Tennessee lawmakers were quick to offer their condolences and support following Monday’s attack. The state’s senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both released statements mourning the tragedy and praising law enforcement.

“Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School,” Hagerty tweeted Monday. “I’m grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions. I am monitoring the situation closely, and my office is in contact with local officials & available to anyone needing assistance.”

Police cordoned off the entrance to Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday following a mass shooting. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)

“Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist,” Blackburn wrote in a statement. “Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.”

First Lady Jill Biden also responded to the attack later Monday, saying we “stand with Nashville in prayer.”

“I am truly without words and our children deserve better,” she added.

Nashville school shooting: Officers who took out suspected Covenant shooter identified

Audrey Hale, 28, is believed to have fatally shot six people at the Covenant School in Nashville

The two police officers who fatally shot the suspect of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville on Monday have been identified.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Officer Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo fired at the 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale “and fatally wounded her,” bringing an end to a shooting that left six victims, including three children, dead.

Officer Englebert is a four-year MNPD veteran and Officer Collazo is a nine-year MNPD veteran.

TENNESSEE SHOOTING: NASHVILLE POLICE RELEASE SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE OF COVENANT SCHOOL ATTACK THAT KILLED 6

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake identified the two officers who fatally shot suspected school shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale on March 27, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

Who are the Nashville school shooting victims?

According to the police chief, Hale fired at the officers who were arriving at the scene from windows on the second floor before they swept the building and found her in a common room.

“The first call to 911 about shots being fired in the building came in at 10:13 a.m. Officers rushed to the campus, made entry, and began clearing the building. Shots were heard coming from the second level. It was on the second floor, in a common area, that a team of officers encountered Hale shooting (she had been firing through a window at arriving police cars). Two members of an officer team fired on Hale and fatally wounded her,” Chief Drake said.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTER AUDREY HALE: WHO IS 28-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER WOMAN WHO OPENED FIRE AT COVENANT SCHOOL

The responding officers were on the scene and neutralized the shooter within 15 minutes of the initial shots being fired by Hale.

The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, all age nine, as well as Mike Hill, 61, Cynthia Peak, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60.

Suspected school shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, was shot dead by police on March 27, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, SHOOTER DEAD

Surveillance video released by MNPD showed Hale shot her way into the church/school through a set of glass doors at a side entrance of the building.

The MNPD also found writings belonging to Hale in a nearby vehicle that revealed her attack was “calculated and planned.”

Metro Nashville Police Department release a video of 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale carrying out a shooting at Covenant school on March 27, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department)

Other evidence, including a sawed-off shotgun and a second shotgun, was seized when officers executed a search warrant at Hale’s Brightwood Avenue home, police said.

The shooting remains under investigation and is being led by several MNPD components, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the ATF and Tennessee Highway Patrol.

UPDATE TO Nashville school shooting: Audrey Hale and the making of a school shooter