The Metro Nashville Police Department revealed the identities of the two officers who shot and killed the shooter who was attacking a private Christian school, which resulted in the deaths of three students and three staff members.
MNPD identified the officers as Rex Englebert, a four-year MNPD veteran, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year MNPD veteran. According to the press release, the responding officers came under fire from Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, who was shooting at them through a second-story window:
The first call to 911 about shots being fired in the building came in at 10:13 a.m. Officers rushed to the campus, made entry and began clearing the building. Shots were heard coming from the second level. It was on the second floor, in a common area, that a team of officers encountered Hale shooting (she had been firing through a window at arriving police cars). Two members of an officer team fired on Hale and fatally wounded her.
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Writings recovered from Hale revealed that her attack was calculated and planned. A search warrant executed at Hale’s Brightwood Avenue home resulted in the seizure of a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun, and other evidence.
Photos published by MNPD show squad cars were shot by Hale, who identified as transgender. Hale entered the church by shooting out the glass doors.
As officers responded to the Covenant campus, Hale fired on arriving police vehicles from a 2nd story window. pic.twitter.com/7JiLdCHhF1
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 28, 2023
The 6 victims fatally shot by the active shooter at Covenant School are identified as: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, Cynthia Peak, age 61, Katherine Koonce, age 60, and Mike Hill, age 61.
Hale identifying as transgender and having a manifesto could point to motivation for the attack since Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed a bill banning transitioning medical services for children earlier this month. Puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries are not allowed to be given to children under the new law, according to the Tennesseean.
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