Global Courant 2023-05-23 06:17:13
A judge in Nashville heard arguments on Monday about the possible release of The Covenant School shooter’s writings in preparation for a public hearing on the matter next month.
At the status hearing, attorneys represented parents, church and school, the city of Nashville, and attorneys from The Covenant School, Covenant Church, and Covenant Parents amid a slew of lawsuits that argued both for and against the release of writing that light could cast on a possible motive.
A judge will rule on Wednesday to allow the parents to be heard at the upcoming June 8 hearing on the writings, Fox 17 reported.
Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a 28-year-old transgender activist and former student, used two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun to kill three 9-year-olds and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, according to authorities. Hale was shot and killed by responding officers within minutes of arriving on campus.
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A group of parents whose children attend The Covenant School try to prevent the gunman’s writings from being made public. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
Just hours after the bloodshed, investigators also executed search warrants at Hale’s home on Brightwood Avenue, where officers found two shotguns and a suicide note on a desk. Five Covenant School yearbooks were seized from the home, as well as a psychiatric medical folder.
Authorities have said joint writings found in Hale’s vehicle left in the school parking lot, and others found at the house, support that Hale documented and planned the shooting at The Covenant School over a period of months and also took into account “the actions of other mass murderers”.
Some say the writings will help victims and authorities understand Hale’s motive and thoughts at the time of the shooting.
A group of Tennessee parents whose children attend The Covenant School filed a motion last Wednesday to prevent the shooter’s writings from being made public. “The parents see no good that can come out of the release and want to argue that the writings – which they believe are the dangerous and harmful writings of a mentally damaged person – should not be released at all,” reads their fill.
The motion came just days after more than 60 Tennessee House Republicans called for the writings to be released.
In a letter to Nashville Police Chief John Drake, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said the timely release of the data is “critical to understanding the shooter’s behavior and motives” before lawmakers meet. before a special session where they are expected to consider a proposal to remove firearms from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
NASHVILLE COVENANT SCHOOL SHOOTER’S UNEDITABLE MANIFEST GIVEN TO TRIAL PRIOR TO PUBLIC HEARING: REPORT
Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, 28, pictured in a driver’s license photo and school surveillance video released by the Nashville Police Department. Hale killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private school connected to a church. (Nashville Metro Police)
In addition, three conservative groups had previously filed lawsuits to force the Nashville police to turn over the data.
Covenant parents are seeking to intervene in those cases, which have been filed by The Tennessee Firearms Association, Star News Digital Media and the National Police Association, a nonprofit organization that says it works to educate people on how to help police departments .
The groups sued after the Nashville Police Department rejected their requests for public records. Police claimed the writings were protected from release as long as they were part of an open investigation, but they indicated they would release them at some point.
Images of Audrey Hale’s Nashville home that were included in the police’s search warrant application. Photos from after the raid show that it was boarded up. (Davidson County Criminal Court)
In late April, police said they were reviewing the writings for public release, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee tweeted that the release would come “very soon.” A week later, police reversed course and said they would await the court’s direction because of the lawsuits.
In addition to Covenant parents, The Covenant School is asking to intervene, as is the church it administers, Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Hale fired 152 rounds during the attack before being killed by police. Hale was under medical treatment for an undisclosed “emotional disorder,” police said. However, authorities have not disclosed any connection between that concern and the shooting. The three children killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the principal of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
