Who was Audrey Hale? Nashville school shooter identity revealed as 28-year-old graphic designer

On Monday, March 27, 28-year-old Audrey Hale allegedly murdered six people at a Christian school in Nashville. Afterwards, the suspect died in an encounter with authorities. According to Yahoo, Hale was a former art student who once attended the school.

As per ABC, at the time of their death, Audrey Hale was working as a graphic designer in Nashville. While they were assigned female at birth, at least one social media account indicated that they identified as Aiden Hale, and went by he/him pronouns. Authorities stated that they could not confirm what gender or name they identified with at the time.

The child victims of the shooting have been identified as nine-year-old students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The adult victims were 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill, 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, and 60-year-old school head Katherine Koonce.

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Nashville shooting suspect Audrey Hale was a graphic designer and illustrator

As per NBC, Audrey Hale was born into a religious family. They went on to attend the Christian school where the shooting was perpetrated. Hale was identified as a good student who went on to study at Nashville's Nossi College of Art and Design in 2022.

School CEO Cyrus Vatandoost commented on the incident:

"While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, to the victims and their families and to our city."

In an interview with ABC news, Hale's neighbors noted that at the time of their death, the suspect was living with their parents. Another neighbor, who remained anonymous, told the Daily Beast that the suspect was on the autism spectrum.

According to Hale's LinkedIn, they worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, focusing on the creation of logos and branding for various companies. On their personal website, Audrey Hale identified themself as a creative and active person who enjoyed spending time with animals.

They wrote:

"Aside from art, I enjoy binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports. There is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground. Animals are my second passion, so I also enjoy spending time with my two cats."

Authorities are still investigating Hale's potential motive behind the killings. According to the suspect's manifesto, the attack was meticulously planned. They were armed with an AR-style rifle, an AR-style pistol, and a handgun. At least two of the guns were obtained legally in Nashville.

Investigators said that Hale intended to attack a second undisclosed target, but did not do so because of high security. The premises of the shooting was the only school that they targeted in the attack.