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 and former pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
"We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie. Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need," said Park Cities Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor Mark Davis.
Tuesday, March 28, at 12:00 p.m., PCPC will come together for a time of prayer in the Sanctuary for Covenant...
Posted by Park Cities Presbyterian Church on Monday, March 27, 2023
"We weep deeply for the unimaginable sorrow that our friends at Covenant Presbyterian Church and School are suffering and will continue to suffer. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we will suffer alongside our friends and grieve together, but not as those without the hope of Jesus." said Paul Goebel, associate pastor of Park Cities Presbyterian Church Dallas.
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. They said the shooter was armed with "at least" two assault rifles and a handgun during the attack.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake confirmed earlier on Monday afternoon that the three children were identified and their families had been contacted.
Police said their preliminary investigation indicates that the shooter was at one time a student at the school, Drake said, but it was not clear when they may have attended.
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.
The shooter entered Covenant School through a side door and traversed the building, moving from the first floor to the second floor and "firing multiple shots," Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesman Don 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.