A former pastor connected with the Nashville, Tennessee, elementary school in which six people were killed Monday said he believes shooter Audrey Hale had a connection to the Christian school that could have impacted the horrific events.
Jim Bachmann, who once worked at The Covenant School, told Inside Edition that the school’s current pastor, Chad Scruggs, had provided Hale with some form of counseling.
The 28-year-old shooter, who attended the school as a girl but later identified as male, was shot and killed by police after a murderous rampage that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old children and three adults.
Hallie Scruggs — the pastor’s daughter — was among the children killed in the attack.
The 9-year-old daughter of the lead pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church was killed in yesterday’s school shooting, his former church confirms in a statement. This is a photo of Chad Scruggs and his daughter Hallie in 2019. pic.twitter.com/Dl9WEnzjJG
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) March 28, 2023
“That’s what I’m hearing. He was providing counseling for her, and something didn’t sit right with her,” Bachmann said in the interview.
Inside Edition noted that the police body camera video of Hale inside the school made it appear as though she was searching for someone.
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
“If she’d found Chad and she tried to kill him, maybe she’d have left the daughter alone,” Bachmann said.
He said he knew Hale from the days when she attended the school.
“She was a very normal, happy-go-lucky little girl that liked to play kickball with the boys,” Bachmann said.
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The Covenant School issued a statement to the U.K.’s Daily Mail pouring cold water on Bachmann’s claim.
“Metro Nashville Police have been clear that no one was targeted in the shooting, and Pastor Scruggs was not counseling the shooter,” the school said.
“The former pastor had said on a television program he had heard that, but it is not accurate and is based on hearsay, not fact,” it said.
Nashville police have called the shooting a targeted attack and said the killer had written a “manifesto” about her plans, according to CBS News.
Do you believe the shooter had victims on a hit list?
Yes: 67% (2 Votes)
No: 33% (1 Votes)
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Hale may have had “some resentment for having to go to that school.”
To date, however, police have said they found no evidence specific people were sought out.
“We have no evidence that individuals were specifically targeted,” said Don Aaron, the director of media relations at the Nashville Police Department.
“This school, this church building was a target of the shooter, but we have no information at present to indicate that the shooter was specifically targeting any one of the six individuals who were murdered,” Aaron said.
