A memorial outside The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, adorned with flowers and stuffed animals on March 30, 2023, serves as a poignant reminder of a tragic school shooting. – Image by Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, support is available. Dial or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for confidential assistance.
An investigative report unveiled the disturbing revelation that the 28-year-old responsible for the deadly shooting at The Covenant School meticulously planned the attack while concealing her escalating mental health struggles through manipulation. Audrey Hale, fixated on notoriety and consumed by thoughts of mass violence, meticulously documented her grievances as she accumulated firearms and readied herself for the tragic events of March 27, 2023.
Despite presenting as male online, the report refers to Hale as female due to her biological status at the time of the incident. After an exhaustive examination spanning years of Hale’s personal effects, no blame was assigned to her family, therapists, or gun vendors for the tragedy that unfolded at the school.
Described as a “deranged, selfish, evil individual” by authorities, Hale managed to mask her deteriorating mental state from those around her, including mental health professionals. The report highlights how Hale strategically withheld information to avoid intervention from caregivers, ultimately leading to the deadly outcome.
The investigation revealed an extensive documentation of Hale’s mindset and plans, providing a rare glimpse into the meticulous preparations that preceded the attack. Families of the victims, grappling with the bleak findings, expressed sorrow over the tragedy that unfolded at the private Christian school.
The statement acknowledges the harsh reality of the senseless crime committed by an evil individual who took pleasure in harming innocent children. Hale’s writings revealed her struggles with mental health from a young age, citing sensitivity to loud noises and fear of large groups of children, animals, and adults.
Hale’s mental health history began in 2001 at the age of six, as documented in notebooks and folders found in her bedroom during a police search. Early developmental delays raised concerns of autism, though a mental health professional identified issues with social interaction, emotional processing, and anxiety.
Attending The Covenant School brought Hale happiness in her early childhood, where she felt safe, accepted, and displayed talent in art. Transitioning to a magnet school in 2006 allowed her to focus on her artistic interests but also subjected her to bullying, leading to social isolation and a decline in self-esteem.
Joining the basketball team in seventh grade briefly boosted Hale’s confidence, but the loss of close friendships in high school triggered feelings of isolation and self-doubt. Mental health assessments diagnosed her with various disorders, leading to therapy and medication management.
After high school, Hale pursued studies at Nossi College of Art & Design, feeling isolated and struggling with her mental health. She found solace in stuffed animals, which she considered her only true friends.
After experiencing concerns over her weight loss, Hale felt abandoned by her former teammates and others. She sought treatment at an eating disorder clinic but continued to feel isolated and resentful. Turning to her stuffed animals for comfort, she believed they were her only true friends who would never leave her. As time passed, she transitioned from expressing her emotions in notebooks to writing angry and profanity-laced rants, particularly against her father and other sources of frustration.
Hale’s fascination with school shootings and mass killers, particularly Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold from the Columbine High School massacre, grew during her college years. She viewed them as inspirations and even idolized them. Despite denying any intentions to harm others, she wrote about the necessary secrecy and planning involved in carrying out such attacks.
Struggling with various mental health disorders, Hale resisted treatment efforts and became increasingly paranoid and manipulative. Her desire for notoriety and a desire to be remembered like the infamous killers led her down a dangerous path. While she expressed suicidal and homicidal thoughts to her therapist, she insisted she had no concrete plans. Despite temporary improvements in her condition after outpatient treatment, she ultimately returned to a state of rage, despair, and suicidal tendencies.
In the fall of 2020, Hale began exploring firearms.
The report detailed how, in an effort to hide weapons and ammunition from her parents, Hale made several gun purchases in October of that year. She bought ammunition and a gun sock to store the weapon in her closet. However, after her mother found the gun sock wrapper in the trash, Hale admitted to buying a rifle. While her mother objected due to Hale’s history of depression and suicidal thoughts, her father allowed her to keep the rifle under the condition that she take safety classes. Hale later revealed to a therapist that she owned a rifle but assured them that her past fantasies of self-harm were behind her.
Despite her efforts to conceal her plans, Hale’s mother discovered that she had purchased a copy of “The Columbine Diaries” online, which led to a meeting with her parents and therapist where her homicidal fantasies were revealed. As a result, Hale agreed to surrender her weapons to her parents and underwent another psychological assessment.
After selling two of her five firearms, Hale continued her planning, changing the date and location of her intended attack multiple times. She postponed the attack on her former middle school, ultimately deciding on Covenant School to avoid being labeled as racist. Hale sought additional firearm training and delayed the attack, hoping to convince her parents that there was nothing to worry about.
In the months leading up to the planned attack, Hale became increasingly paranoid, fearing that her parents or therapist would uncover her intentions. Despite her efforts to be cautious, on March 27, 2023, Hale carried two firearms and…
The shooting at The Covenant School was carried out by a perpetrator who has not been named. CNN has attempted to contact the school and the parents of the shooter for their response to the report’s conclusions. In a statement released on Wednesday, the families of the victims from Nashville expressed that the pain of losing Evelyn, Hallie, William, Mike, Katherine, and Cindy would never fade and that there could never truly be closure after such a tragic event.
The victims of the shooting included three 9-year-olds – Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney – as well as three adults: school custodian Mike Hill, school head Katherine Koonce, and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak. A memorial was held for the victims of The Covenant School shooting on March 31, 2023.
The families of the victims emphasized that no amount of facts or time could ease the trauma and sorrow they have endured over the past two years, and expressed their hope that no one else would have to endure such a tragedy. A judge in Tennessee ruled last July that the writings of the shooter, Hale, could not be made public. The killer’s parents passed on the writings to the victims’ families, who argued that releasing them could cause further harm and inspire similar attacks.
Attorney Eric Osborne, representing some of the victims’ families, stated that the findings reinforce the importance of preventing the public release of the shooter’s writings. He urged people to focus on supporting the victims and survivors who continue to suffer from the consequences of that fateful day. Nashville police also supported this stance, highlighting the potential danger of making the shooter’s plan public.
