What gun was used in the Nashville school shooting? Officials share details of Audrey Hale's weapons

Audrey Hall (Image via Metro Nashville police)
Audrey Hall (Image via Metro Nashville police)

In the wake of the Nashville school shooting that killed six people, including three children, authorities released details of the weapons used by mass shooter Audery Hale.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence and mass shooting that may not be suitable for all readers. Discretion is advised.

In a press conference, police chief John Drake said that on Monday, March 27, 2023, armed with two assault-style rifles and a 9-millimeter pistol, Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale drove to the Covenant School, a Christian elementary school in Nashville, and entered the school building through a side door.

Shortly after entering the school premises, the 28-year-old graphic designer and a former student at Covenant School gunned down three adults and three children before officers killed the suspect at the scene.


Authorities release pictures of weapons with personalized stickers used in Nashville school shooting

Police also released photos of the personalized weapons used by the suspect in the Nashville school shooting. Pictures released by the Metro Nashville police showed multiple stickers on the weapons with writings that said “Hellfire” and “Aiden.”

As per the Daily Beast, the Nashville school shooting suspect, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who had recently come out as transgender, reportedly went by the name “Aiden” on social media.

The weapon, which had multiple rounds of ammunition, was reportedly used to shoot Hale’s way into the building. Surveillance footage from inside the building captured the suspect shooting a double glass door and stalking the hallway before firing at the students and staff.

Police identified the six victims who were killed in the mass shooting incident, including three young children, all aged nine. The young victims 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.

Metro Nashville police said that Hale also shot at the officers, who responded to the scene 15 minutes after they received an active shooter alert at the Christian academy. However, Hale was killed during the confrontation, preventing further bloodshed.

Authorities also added that the suspect, armed with several rounds of ammunition, intended to cause more harm before his violent plans were thwarted by the police officers who killed him at the scene.


Nashville School shooting was a premeditated attack

Authorities said that the Nashville school shooting was a premeditated attack, noting that the suspect had planned the killing in a manifesto that showed a detailed assessment of security risks in the building.

The Manifesto, found in the suspect’s home, also reportedly included details about another location the suspect planned to target. However, police said Hale binned the idea after determining that the other unidentified location posed significant security risks. During the press conference, Chief Drake told the reporters:

“There was another location that was mentioned, but because of threat assessment by the suspect, too much security, they decided not to.”

Authorities also found a map of the Covenant School that included “surveillance, entry points, etc.,” about the building.

Police, who are still exploring the circumstances behind the targeted attack, said that they are investigating if the gender of the suspect, who recently came out as transgender, was a potential motive for the shooting.

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Edited by Shreya Das