Nashville police have released footage showing the violent entry of Audrey Hale into the Covenant School on Monday.
Hale killed three children and three adults in a shooting spree that ended when Hale was fatally shot by police.
The footage, a compilation from various cameras, shows the Honda Fit in which Hale drove to the school arriving in the parking lot.
Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church/School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building. She was armed with 2 assault-type guns and a 9 millimeter pistol. pic.twitter.com/mIk2pDmCwQ
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 28, 2023
The two-minute clip compiled from about 30 minutes of footage then shows the locked doors of school. The glass doors are suddenly shattered, and Hale enters the building with a rifle poised and ready.
The balance of the video shows Hale prowling through empty hallways, pausing briefly before each doorway she enters. In the final bit of footage, Hale is walking down a corridor, looking from right to left as the gun moves to cover each side of the hallway in turn.
Avery Myrick told Nashville’s WSMV-TV that her mother is a pre-K teacher at the school.
“She said they were hiding in the closet, and there was shooting all over,” Myrick said. “[She said] they had potentially tried to get into her room.”
Nashville police said Hale had two rifles and a handgun as well as “significant ammunition,” according to The Tennessean.
“It has been a hard day. We are sad,” senior pastor Nathan Parker of Woodmont Christian Church said in a statement, according to the newspaper.
“Sad for the families who came rushing to our church. Sad for those whose lives will never be the same because of the trauma inflicted on them. Sad because we live in a world broken by sin, suffering, and death.”
According to WTVF-TV in Nashville, a friend of Hale’s named Averianna Patton said she received Instagram messages from Hale shortly before 10 a.m. Monday. Hale was explaining that she planned to die.
“One day this will make more sense,” Hale wrote. “I’ve left more than enough evidence behind. But something bad is about to happen.”
Patton told the station she tried to take action.
“I tried to comfort and encourage her and subsequently reached out to the Suicide Prevention Help Line after being instructed to by my father at 10:08 am. Audrey has shared with others that she had been suicidal in the past and I knew to take this serious,” Patton said.
Patton said she called the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and was told to call a non-emergency number.
“I called Nashville’s non-emergency line at 10:14 a.m. and was on hold for nearly seven minutes before speaking with someone who said that they would send an officer to my home. An officer did not come to my home until 3:29 p.m.,” Patton said.
The first 911 call reporting the shooting came in at 10:13 a.m., according to ABC News.
“After phone calls from friends and Audrey’s name was released as the shooter at Covenant Nashville school, I learned that Audrey was the shooter and that she had reached out to me prior to the shooting,” Patton said. “My heart is with all of the families affected and I’m devastated by what has happened.”
