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#The Covenant School shooting
arwyd · 1 year
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Sunday always comes. Resurrection is a promise, and it is a prophecy. It’s a prophecy that came out of the cotton fields. It’s a prophecy that came out of the lynching tree. It’s a prophecy that still lives in each and every one of us to make the state of Tennessee the place it ought to be. So I’ve still got hope, because I know we are still here and we will never quit.
-Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) on the day of his expulsion (04/06/2023) from the Tennessee House of Representatives, for standing with his constituents as they protested gun violence following a school shooting that left 6 dead at The Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, 2023.
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Three children and three staff members were gunned down at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday before the shooter, a heavily armed 28-year-old woman, was killed by police, authorities said.
The shooting unfolded at The Covenant School on Burton Hills Boulevard where officers "engaged" the attacker, described by Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake as a woman who appears to be a former student at the school.
"At one point she was a student at that school, but unsure what year," he said.
The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, a Nashville resident, three law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.
The shooter was killed on the school's second floor, a police spokesperson said. She had two "assault-type rifles and a handgun," according to the official.
Students of the school, which serves preschool students through sixth graders, were being bused to Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles away, to be reunited with their parents.
Police said they first got calls about the shooter at 10:13 a.m. CT and Nashville firefighters first reported their personnel were responding to an “active aggressor” at 10:39 a.m. CT.
"The police department response was swift," police spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters.
"They heard shots coming from the second level. They immediately went to the gunfire. When the officers got to the second level, they saw a shooter, a female, who was firing. The officers engaged her. She was fatally shot by responding police officers."
Five police officers came upon the shooter and two opened fire on her, Aaron said. The shooter entered the school through a "side entrance" on the first floor, he added.
"By 10:27 the shooter was deceased," Aaron said.
It was not clear how the shooter gained access to the school.
"There was a door that was entered. All doors were locked, to our understanding, and how exactly she got in, at this point, is still under investigation," Drake said.
One officer was hurt by shattered glass, officials said.
The names and ages of the victims have not been released. The chief said the families of all six victims had been notified.
"Right now I will refrain from saying the ages, other than to say I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building,” Drake said.
Shortly after police announced the shooter was dead, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also said “there is no current threat to public safety.”
The Covenant School employs 33 teachers with an 8-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio, according to its website.
On a normal day of class, there would be 209 students and 42 staff members on campus, Aaron said.
The school was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, and shares the same address as the church.
The fire department helped usher the children out of the school, carefully trying to help them from seeing the carnage.
“We were on scene to help them mitigate anyone from seeing exactly what else was going on,” fire department spokesperson Kendra Loney said. "But we're sure they heard the chaos surrounding this."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting.
In a statement, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said: "I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant. As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community."
The gunfire in Nashville on Monday follows multiple shootings on campuses across the country.
Just days ago, a 17-year-old suspect wounded two administrators at a Denver high school before he was found dead.
In February, three students were gunned down at Michigan State University.
And in January, two students were fatally shot at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa.
Dr. Adrienne Battle, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, referenced the shootings in a statement.
“We don’t know all of the details of how or why this happened, and we may never fully know. At Metro Schools, we have invested considerable resources to strengthen security at our facilities in response to the far too many, far too often instances of school shootings across the nation over the years. We will continue to reinforce our safety protocols and monitor and follow best practices on keeping students safe from harm,” she said.
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I cannot believe that the same man I protested alongside for BLM during the summer of 2020 got elected to be a state representative.... just for other lawmakers to put in a formal request for him and 2 others to be removed this year. Why do they want him removed, you ask? BECAUSE HE PROTESTED WITH 10,000+ STUDENTS YESTERDAY FOR BETTER GUN LEGISLATION, THEIR RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE IN SCHOOL, AND MORE!!
Representative Justin Jones, also known as Brother Jones to many of us here in TN, does not deserve this. He's a fantastic organizer and now state legislator who has repeatedly put his body, mental health, and life on the line for countless people. And the other two Reps., Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson, don't deserve it either. Especially not for joining people they're meant to represent in a fight for their safety and rights.
If you wanna help them, please call Speaker Cameron Sexton's office at +1-615-741-2343 and leave a voicemail demanding they not unlawfully remove Reps. Jones, Johnson, and Pearson from their rightfully-elected positions. You can leave a name, real or not, and number if you want, but you don't have to. You can also email Speaker Sexton at [email protected].
PLEASE REBLOG THIS IF YOU SEE IT, AND PLEASE HELP IF YOU'RE WILLING AND ABLE TO!
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Really scared and angry right now about the Nashville shooting and its potential aftermath. First and foremost, my condolences go to the victims’ families, as well as the students and staff of the school, but I’m also really nervous about what this could mean for the trans community, given the perpetrator was trans. The actions of one individual do not define a population, but with the rise of anti-trans legislature and rhetoric in America, especially in conservative-majority states, I’m worried that this tragedy could be used to further persecute trans people and detract from the central issue of gun violence. I want to offer my support both to the people who are grieving and to the trans community, and am beyond angry at the politicians and public figures who are exploiting the shooting to further harm both trans people and victims of gun violence.
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hematite2 · 1 year
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Love how this latest shooting means that half the people are going to focus on 'the evil of trans people' and the other half will focus on 'the evil of guns', and absolutely nothing will be done to help people, but someone will end up violating your rights :)
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denalisecho · 1 year
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yesterday’s events were horrific and tragic. It’s natural to feel a lot of emotions; anger, sadness, fear, hopelessness or maybe all of them together.
I’ve seen people focus on that the shooter is a transman and how that could impact the community. I’ve also seen people getting pissed at them for thinking that.
I think, if you want my two cents, that first and foremost this is a gun control issue and the main victims are the innocent lives lost. We must remember the 3 children, all 9 years old, and the 3 adults (two staff members one substitute).
Could this impact the transgender community negatively? Yes. And feelings regarding that, especially with all the recent bills and laws, are valid. It’s scary.
There will be a lot of effect from this tragedy. Both positive (maybe stricter gun laws?🤞) and negative. However, no matter if a shooter is cis or trans, they are a horrible person that had access to a terrible weapon, and in most cases legally.
The names of Evelyn, Hallie, William, Cynthia, Katherine, and Mike need to be remembered and focused on as a whole, not the shooter.
In the end, we need to see the list of names lost to gun violence stop. Right fucking now.
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2023 Covenant School Shooting
Audrey Hale drove a Honda Fit to The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian Church in America parochial school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, arriving at 9:54 a.m. CDT and parking it in the lot. At 9:57 Hale sent a message to an old friend, saying an earlier message was "basically a suicide note" and that she planned to die today. The friend called a crisis hotline and then contacted the Davidson County Sheriff's Office at 10:13.
At 10:11, Hale shot through a side door to enter the building. She was armed with two rifles and a handgun. At 10:13, police received a call about an active shooter.  Hale walked across the second floor of the school before opening fire. Officers first arrived at the school at 10:24. A teacher told one of the officers that the students were in lockdown and two were missing. 
Officers entered the building at 10:25, began evacuating the first floor, and searched each room for Hale. They heard gunshots coming from the second floor. Five Metro Nashville police officers proceeded upstairs and saw him in a lobby area, firing through a window at arriving police vehicles. Two of the officers fired eight rounds, killing her at 10:27, 14 minutes after the initial 911 call. 
Six people—three children and three staff members—were killed. Five were pronounced dead at a hospital and one at the scene. They were students Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, all aged 9; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; custodian Mike Hill, 61; and head of school Katherine Koonce, 60. In addition, a police officer cut his hand on shattered glass.
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tomorrowusa · 1 year
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As ABC News reports, Tennessee Republicans are in full blown thoughts and prayers mode. It doesn’t get more stereotypically Republican than this.
Nashville school shooting updates: Governor says now's not time to talk legislation
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called for prayers in the wake of Monday's deadly mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school, while noting that "there will be a time to talk about the legislation."
"I am calling on the people of Tennessee to pray. For the families of victims, for the Covenant family, for those courageous officers, for the family of the shooter, for those who are hurting and angry and confused," Lee, a Republican, said in a video address on Tuesday evening. "Prayer is the first thing we should do, but it's not the only thing."
GOP Gov. Lee says that prayer is “not the only thing”. The other thing of course is quietly reminding the NRA that Tennessee Republicans are sticking up for AR-15s at the expense of Tennessee schoolchildren.
NPR describes how Tennessee GOP gun culture helped the Covenant School shooter obtain a small arsenal.
How the Nashville shooter was able to legally buy 7 guns  
In the case of the Nashville shooting, police say the perpetrator was being treated for a mental health disorder, yet bought seven guns, including assault-style rifles, legally. Police say the shooter's parents thought their child should not have access, but Tennessee does not have a law to request guns are removed temporarily, commonly known as a red flag law. Democratic lawmakers have introduced that in the past, but Republicans didn't pass it.
The gerrymandered heavily GOP Tennessee legislature is where gun safety legislation goes to die – figuratively shot full of holes with assault rifles.
Republicans around the US in recent years have blamed mass shootings on mental illness. But when they had a chance to do something about guns and mental illness in Tennessee, they consciously chose to do nothing. 
For the GOP, action is never an option. Instead of making schools safer, they will fixate on far right culture war issues to juice up their gradually declining base.
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sailorsleepyhead · 12 hours
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Idk if I’ve seen any post ab this today
but it’s been a year since the covenant school shooting and it breaks my heart that this is still an ongoing problem that people my age have to worry with, it’s utterly sad and depressing that we have to worry about going to school without being killed. Please rest in peace
Evelyn Dieckhaus
Hallie Scruggs
William Kinney
Cynthia Peak
Katherine Koonce
Mike Hill
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Granny, get your gun. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told a rapt Kayleigh McEnany Tuesday on Fox News that grandparents could join a force of armed military vets and retired police officers to protect schools from shootings.
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McEnany, Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary, was rapt as Blackburn promoted her SAFE Schools Act, which would supply $900 million to “harden schools” with more security. The proposal, which she introduced after a Nashville school shooting in March, does nothing to address the root of the problem: easy access to powerful guns.
“To have this grant pool and to allow local school systems and local law enforcement to work together to bring in veterans and retired law enforcement to serve as a security officer at a school — they know how to use weapons,” Blackburn said. “They know to de-escalate situations. I’ve talked to a lot of them. They like this idea. They are grandparents like we are — my husband and I are grandparents — and they want to be there to help protect children.”
Blackburn said she proposed something similar after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers. In that case, hundreds of law enforcement personnel were slow to act while the shooter carried out the massacre.
Even McEnany’s own right-wing employer has conceded that most Americans favor stricter weapons restrictions. There have been more than 200 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. But Blackburn, like many Republicans, has pushed back against reasonable gun control in the name of the Second Amendment.
Blackburn said Tuesday it was “unseemly” that Democrats would reject her idea. She claimed on Fox News that her measure would provide fortress-like protection, including “bulletproof doors and the film on windows ... so that parents can have the confidence that their children are going to be safe.”
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thatonebasicfan · 1 year
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Blaming Christians for the Covenant School Shooting for affirming basic human biology is like blaming a female rape victim for not wearing more modest clothing.
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femjerma · 1 year
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shinobicyrus · 1 month
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After the mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school that killed three nine-year old children and three staff, Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett said of the tragedy, “It’s a horrible, horrible situation, and we’re not gonna fix it. Criminals are gonna be criminals.”
He went on to say: “My daddy fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me … ‘Buddy, if somebody wants to take you out and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.”
It’s striking how mass murderers with a gun is the sole thing that Conservatives are perfectly okay feigning powerlessness about. Imagine if this same principle was applied to other Conservative bugbears:
“Listen I know we’re all concerned about the gay agenda but there’s just no way to fix it. Gays are gonna be gay.”
“Abortion is a horrible, horrible thing, but if somebody wants to end a pregnancy there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do to stop them.”
“We can’t really stop illegal immigrants coming over the border. Criminals are gonna be criminals!”
"If a jihadist wants to take you out and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.”
But of course, they have no issue at all passing laws restricting bodily autonomy, forcing victims of sexual violence to remain pregnant, persecuting queer people, banning books, enacting draconian restrictions of free speech at schools and sending undercover cops to drag shows. Nor do they have any qualms about mass surveillance on US Citizens and immigrant communities, illegal incarceration and child separation of asylum seekers. Border walls and ICE raids and bans on people from Muslim-majority countries.
They will trample and restrict on every right except guns, because it’s the perfect fusion of violent American machismo, the profits of the Arms Industry, and their secret, romantic belief that someday they’re going to be Noble Revolutionaries fighting a Tyrannical government.
The tyranny, of course, not being all the things I mentioned above, but the government suggesting that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t be allowed to own a weapon that can kill a dozen people in a matter of seconds. That’s real tyranny.
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