UPDATE 12:50 P.M. PST: Police now say the shooter in this incident was actually “a 28-year-old female” and not a teenager as earlier believed.
They also say she was a former student of the Covenant School. Her identity has not been released, and police say they still have not determined a motive for the attack.
[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
At least six victims lost their lives in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to multiple media reports, the shooting took place early Monday at Covenant School in the Tennessee city. Covenant School is “a private Christian institution” for students from kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its website.
Per reports, three students and three adult staff members were killed in the attack. Police officials have confirmed that number, and also noted officers who arrived on scene after the shooting “engaged with and killed the shooter” to stop the attack. The shooter makes a total of seven dead.
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According to ABC News, several victims, children and adults, were rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds early in the morning. Per a source at the hospital — nearby Vanderbilt University Medical Center — that was where multiple victims were “pronounced dead.”
On Monday morning, the Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed via Twitter that “an active shooter event has taken place” at the school, which is on Burton Hills Drive a few miles southwest of downtown Nashville:
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. pic.twitter.com/vO8p9cj3vx
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 27, 2023
The Nashville Fire Department also weighed in via the social media site.
They delivered unsettling news that their first responders picked up “multiple patients” after an “active aggressor” situation at the school’s address:
We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School.
We can confirm we have multiple patients.
Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time. this is an active scene.— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) March 27, 2023
Oh, no…
In a press conference held hours later on Monday morning, the MNPD officially confirmed the casualties as being three students as well as three adults who worked at the school. It is unclear whether the adults were teachers or support staff members. It is also not clear as to the ages or grade levels of the children.
During the media briefing, law enforcement officials noted that only one other person was hurt in the attack: a responding police officer who received a hand injury from broken glass while engaging the shooter. Thankfully, that injury was apparently not severe.
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As for the shooter, that person’s identity has not been released. However, an MNPD spokesperson at the press conference did indicate the deceased shooter was “a female teenager.” She was apparently carrying at least two assault-style rifles and a handgun at the time she was engaged by responding officers.
More information was not made available at the initial media conference. At the end of the press event, Nashville police officials said they plan to conduct another news briefing “soon.”
So, so scary and sad. We are BEYOND sick of school shootings and mass violence. And we are praying for the families and children involved.
If you’re experiencing emotional distress related to incidents of mass violence, you can call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit their website at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline for more resources.
[Image via ABC 7 News/YouTube]
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