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The 28-year-old graphic designer Audrey Hale, who drove to The Covenant School in Nashville on March 27 and killed six individuals, was under care for an emotional disorder and had legally bought seven firearms that were hidden at home.
On Tuesday, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake revealed that Hale’s parents were only privy to their child owning one weapon but were under the assumption that Hale had sold the gun before the mass shooting.
He added,
“The parents felt (Hale) should not own weapons.”
The police chief added that Hale “was under care, doctor’s care, for an emotional disorder.”
The police chief previously said that authorities are investigating the motive behind the horrific incident, including if the suspect’s recent change in gender identity played a role in the mass murder. Hale, who was transgender, used the name Aiden and male pronouns on some social media. The police have referred to her using female pronouns.
Audrey Hale gunned down six victims—three children and three adults—before the responding officers shot them dead at the scene. The three young children, all aged 9, were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The suspect also killed school principal Katherine Koonce, 60, and two staff members, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both 61 years old.
Police discovered seven guns in Audrey Hale's home
In a press conference, Nashville Police Chief John Drake revealed that they discovered seven weapons at Audrey Hale’s home, including three guns used to kill three children and three staff members at the Covenant school.
As per reports, the guns were purchased between October 20, 2020 and June 6, 2022, from various local stores.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Drake did not disclose any additional information on Audrey Hale’s emotional disorder, noting that the authorities “knew nothing about the treatment (Hale) was receiving.”
Meanwhile, a recent report citing art college instructor Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, said before the shooting, the suspect had penned a devastating note on social media after the death of a romantic partner, grieving the loss.
Shortly after, Hale had reportedly come out as transgender and asked to be addressed as Aiden and with masculine pronouns. News Channel 5 reported that, minutes before the rampage, Audrey Hale sent a friend a “suicide note” on Instagram stating an intent to die and signed off the note with “Audrey (Aiden).”
The message sent to Hale’s former middle school basketball teammate, Averianna Patton, on Instagram read:
“So basically that post I made on here about you, that was basically a suicide note. I’m planning to die today. THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!! You’ll probably hear about me on the news after I die.”
Hale added:
“This is my last goodbye. I love you … See you again in another life.”
Authorities, who are still trying to piece together the motive for the killing, said that they cannot confirm if the suspect’s mental health issues might have driven Hale to the brink of violence. However, in establishing a connection between the suspect and the location, Drake had previously said that Audrey Hale was a former student at the Covenant school.
It should be noted that while authorities confirmed that the mass shooting was a targeted attack, the victims were reportedly not specifically targeted by the suspect.
