Topline
The 28-year-old accused of killing six people at an elementary school in Nashville last week fired 152 rounds in the school before being killed by police, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Monday in an update about the investigation, adding that the suspect had planned the shooting for months.
A woman pauses at a memorial at the entrance to The Covenant School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in … [+]
Key Facts
Through their investigation, police found suspect Audrey Hale fired a total of 126 rifle rounds and 26 nine millimeter rounds in the minutes between when Hale shot through the doors of the school and when Hale was shot by officers.
Last week, police released body camera footage that showed the two officers who killed Hale; in their update Monday, police said each of those officers fired four rounds from their respective weapons.
While the motive for the attack is still under investigation, police have reviewed journals and writings and said Hale “considered the actions of other mass murders,” previously noting that they believe Hale was a former student of the school.
Key Background
Last week, police say Hale killed three children and three adults at the Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. Hale was receiving doctor’s care for an emotional disorder. Hale legally purchased seven firearms from five local gun stores in the Nashville area, using three of them during last week’s shooting, police said last week. Just 14 minutes passed from the time the first call came in of an active shooter to the time police engaged with the shooter, according to Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron. The response was starkly different from the police reaction at a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last year where hundreds of police officers waited more than an hour to control and kill the gunman.
Tangent
Many in Nashville, including students, have taken to the state capitol in recent days to call on lawmakers to address gun violence. More than a thousand people showed up at the Tennessee capitol Friday, Tennessee Lookout reported. On Friday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said he was open to considering measures similar to red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily take away firearms for people deemed dangerous, The Tennessean reported.
Big Number
95. That’s how many K-12 school shootings have taken place so far in 2023, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Further Reading
Nashville School Shooter Legally Bought 7 Guns, Police Say (Forbes)
Nashville Police Found And Shot Covenant School Suspect Within Minutes, Body Camera Footage Shows (Forbes)
Nashville Shooting: What We Know About The 28-Year-Old Suspect (Forbes)
White House Renews Calls For Assault Weapons Ban After Nashville Shooting—Here’s Why The Odds Of Passing The Bill Have Grown Even Slimmer (Forbes)
Nashville School Shooter Identified—After Three Children And Three Adults Killed
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/04/03/nashville-mass-shooter-fired-152-rounds-in-minutes-police-say/