Final Report Reveals Planned Nature of Covenant School Attack, Shooter’s Detailed Preparations Uncovered

Final Report Reveals Planned Nature of Covenant School Attack

FIRST ON FOX: Nashville police have released a comprehensive report detailing the circumstances surrounding the tragic Covenant School massacre that occurred in March 2023. This attack, carried out by a transgender shooter, claimed the lives of three third-graders and three adults.

Rather than producing a manifesto, the report highlights that the assailant, Audrey Hale, left behind a series of notebooks, art books, and computer documents reflecting her plans to carry out the attack. Investigators found her actions were influenced in part by the infamous Columbine school shooting from 1999.

Long-Term Planning and Dark Fantasies

Hale, a 28-year-old biological female, had been “fantasizing” about and researching mass shootings for several years, with investigators tracing her interest back to 2017. By 2018, she documented detailed fantasies about carrying out a shooting at the Isaac T. Creswell Middle Magnet School for the Arts. This included violent thoughts of killing her father and psychiatrist.

The police report clearly states, “In this case, a manifesto didn’t exist. Hale never left behind a single document explaining why she committed the attack, why she specifically targeted The Covenant, and what she hoped to gain, if anything, with the attack.” Instead, her motivations and dark thoughts were fragmented across numerous notebooks and writings.

Investigation Findings and Evidence

Images presented in the report show over two dozen notebooks confiscated from Hale’s residence and her vehicle. Within this extensive collection, investigators also found a suicide note addressed to her parents, indicating her troubled state of mind.

The thoroughness of Hale’s diary entries over the years has provided authorities with more context than is typically available in such investigations. This accumulation of evidence allowed police to paint a clearer picture of Hale’s mental state leading up to the attack.

The Victims and Targeted Location

The Covenant School was linked to a church that Hale had once attended. Among the victims were three nine-year-old children, including the pastor’s daughter Hallie Scruggs, along with Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney. The adults killed in the attack were identified as 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, the Head of School, along with 61-year-olds Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill.