Authorities in Nashville, Tennessee, have identified 28-year-old Audrey Hale as the suspect in a shooting at Covenant Elementary School that left six people dead, including three 9-year-old children. The institution is a private Christian school that teaches classes from preschool to sixth grade and has about 200 students.
Hale was killed during an exchange of fire with police, authorities said.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Hale was a Covenant student at one time. He also said police identified where she lived in the Nashville area and interviewed her father.
The investigation into the shooting continues, and authorities are still unclear as to what the motive was.
Here’s what we know about the suspect in the Nashville Covenant Elementary School shooting.
Hale entered the school through a side door, Metropolitan Nashville Police Don Aaron said during a news conference. She was carrying at least two assault rifles and a pistol, Aaron added.
“She entered the school through a side entrance and made her way from the first floor to the second floor, while she was firing multiple shots,” Aaron recounted.
For her part, Drake reported that Hale legally obtained at least two of the weapons she used in the shooting. And he added that the attack was specifically directed against the school.
Hale had several rounds of ammunition and was prepared for a confrontation with police, he added.
