FIRST ON FOX: Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett called for public disclosure of manifesto of transgender shooter at Nashville private presbyterian school.
“Our trans youth are struggling,” Burchett said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “If they don’t get the help they need, they could grow up with serious problems, but of course I don’t believe they all grow up to be shooters like that.”
“We need to know what was going through this person’s mind and the manifesto needs to be made public,” the Tennessee Republican continued.
NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, GUNMAN DEAD
Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett called for the manifesto of the transgender shooter at Nashville’s private Presbyterian school to be made public. (Getty Images)
The horrific tragedy that shook the nation Monday began when a 28-year-old woman — who identified as a transgender man — entered Covenant School with “assault rifles” and a handgun, authorities said. Covenant is a small, private Presbyterian school in Nashville with students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
Three children and three adults, including the head of the school, were killed in the attack. The shooter, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a Nashville resident, was killed by police.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Hale appeared to have prepared for the shooting, noting that investigators found a written manifesto.
“We also found that maps of the school had been drawn with detailed surveillance access points. At one point, she was a student at that school,” he said. “There was a vehicle nearby that gave us a clue as to who she was.”
A police officer walks past an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Police say the gunman entered the building through a side door and fired shots before going to the second floor, where Hale was confronted by responding officers. They do not believe she was wearing a bulletproof vest, authorities said.
A search of a Honda Fit driven by Hale to the school campus turned up “additional material,” police said. Hale also allegedly fired at responding police vehicles from a second-story window.
Hale was armed with two AR-style weapons, including a rifle and pistol, and a handgun. Two of the guns may have been purchased legally in the Nashville area, Drake said. Investigators investigated a possible theory for a motive, but did not disclose details.
Hale was armed with two AR-style weapons, including a rifle and pistol, and a handgun. Two of the guns may have been purchased legally in the Nashville area, Drake said. Investigators investigated a possible theory for a motive, but did not disclose details. (Nashville Police Station)
Medical center officials say three young students were transported with gunshot wounds to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Vanderbilt. All three were pronounced dead upon arrival. The three other adults were also pronounced dead after the attack. All three were employees of the school.
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The victims were identified by police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61. According to the school’s website, Koonce was Covenant’s principal.
The Covenant School, according to its website, is a private Christian institution for students through 6th grade.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Louis Casiano contributed to the reporting.
Houston Keene is a political writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @HoustonKeene
