covenant school nashville victims

Do we ask them what they saw? 10:25 a.m.: Two officers engaged the suspect, and the suspect is . "Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need.. The bill was considered a compromise, and Democrats said it fell far short of the sort of assault weapons ban that Mr. Biden has proposed. Kristin Mumford, a police spokeswoman, said that the shooter had been born female but listed male pronouns on a LinkedIn profile, which suggested that the suspect was a transgender man. People will be praying for Covenant Presbyterian, for Chad and for that school, he said. On Monday afternoon, he was preparing for a previously planned annual meeting about the school, which he anticipated would now be consumed by questions about security, given the shattering impact of the shooting within the denomination. It opened the school, which is attached, in 2001. Three students and three staff members were shot and killed at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning. Tennessee Gov. Kirsten Noyes, Susan C. Beachy and Kitty Bennett contributed research. a fatal shooting at a private Christian elementary school in Tennessee's capital city. Koonce, Covenants head of school, was described by former students as a champion to all children, whether they faced learning difficulties or were gifted and needed extra challenges. Is there school tomorrow?. Beginning last May, the shooter worked as a shopper for a grocery delivery company, according to a LinkedIn profile. Earlier this month, the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group, said that, since the beginning of the year, the United States had surpassed 100 mass shootings, defined as those in which at least four people were killed or injured. I have watched school shootings happen over the years and never thought I would lose a loved one over a person trying to solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution. Tim Dunavant, a Methodist pastor who told the BBC that he first hired Hill more than a decade earlier, said that he would miss Hills encouraging texts out of the blue and that he would not be surprised if Hill had sacrificed himself to save others because hes the kind of guy that would do that. We are devastated by our loss but depending on our God for comfort and healing," the family continued. 1:04 As a public service, The Tennessean has made this content free. Rachel Dibble, whose children attend a different private school in Nashville, had also visited with Covenant families, some of whom she knew through youth sports. March 29, 2023 / 9:38 AM Bachmanns wife, Kristen, added that Hill would stop what he was doing and give you a hug as soon as you walked in the door. There was confusion about the gender identity of the assailant in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the victims as. Katherine Koonce, 60, a native of Louisiana who held a doctorate in education, was the head of school since 2016. This year, Republican lawmakers have introduced several bills that would expand access to guns, including a proposal backed by Senate Republicans that would codify the right of Americans to carry guns outside of their homes and use them for self-defense. Because thats how he treated everybody, she said. There were often games of hangman and laughter coming from the back porch, he said. Hallie Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to a biography published online by his former church in Dallas. Do we not ask them what they saw? Mike Hill was a custodian at the Covenant School, according to police. Here is what is known so far about the six fatal victims: Evelyn Dieckhaus, nine, was a student in the third grade. Chief Drake said it was too early to discuss a possible motive for the shooting, though he confirmed that the attack was targeted. Two buses carried a total of 108 children and staff members to a nearby church, Woodmont Baptist, where parents had been asked to reunite with their children, Ms. Loney said. Evelyn was a shining light in this world. The attacker was an illustrator and graphic designer who had studied at the Nossi College of Art and Design, according to a former teacher and an online portfolio. Upon hearing about the shooting, Drake expected Koonce would be at the center of the school's response, saying she was wholly devoted to the community. Metro Police strongly suggested that Koonce confronted the shooter in a school hallway before she was killed. FILE - A woman prays near the likeness of four of the victims as she visits a memorial at the entrance to The Covenant School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne . ", "We cannot believe this has happened," the statement read. Covenant Presbyterian Church is part of a conservative evangelical denomination. John Amis/AP hide caption Covenant school shooting: 3 kids, 3 adults killed in Nashville There was confusion about the gender identity of the assailant in the immediate aftermath of the attack. We do not have to live like this, nor should we ever accept this as our reality, Ms. Brown said in a statement. The police in Nashville identified the six victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9; Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher; Mike Hill, 61, a custodian; and Katherine Koonce, 60. "She was trying to protect those kids That's just what I believe.". The shooter, identified as Audrey E. Hale, was killed by police officers who responded to the shooting at the Covenant School, a small, private Christian school that is attached to a church and serves children from pre-school through sixth grade. Children from The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., hold hands as they are taken to a reunification site at the Woodmont Baptist Church after a shooting at. Peak's family said their "hearts are broken," confirming the loss "of our beloved Cindy Peak. The school does not have a police officer guarding it, Mr. Aaron said. Mental health counselors were there to meet the families, she said. In the clip, two sets of glass doors shatter from bullets before the assailant ducks into the building through the broken glass. The school does not have a police officer guarding it, he said. Our hearts go out to all the victims' families as we grieve this horrific tragedy.". That profile had been active in recent months, with the user reacting to two posts about other peoples career updates. "Her favorite roles in life were being a mom to her three children, a wife to her husband, and an educator to students. Tennessee Gov. Summary of S.Res. 127: A resolution condemning the horrific school Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. He was a father of seven children and 14 grandchildren. ABC News' Miles Cohen, Duan Perrin and Lisa Siversten contributed to this report. Hills family said in a statement that he was the father of seven children and had 14 grandchildren. It has a student-to-teacher ratio of 8 to 1, not 1 to 8. Drake said she knew Koonce had made her mark when she saw the footage that police released from two of the responding officers' body-worn cameras. Stunned," Drake said. Parents of Nashville shooting victims urge court to deny release of "Our hearts are completely broken," the Dieckhaus family told ABC News in a statement. I want a politician to sit in a church with families and 250 kids downstairs that are white as a sheet and trembling and gray and yellow and green and blue because of the shock., Speaking of the students, she added: They started this morning, they had their cute little uniforms on, they probably had some Froot Loops. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. She was the youngest and the only daughter out of the Scruggs four children, said Mark Davis, senior pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, where Scruggs used to work. Nervous NATO allies on Russia's border look "to America for leadership". Bill Lee said his wife, Maria, was "best friends" with Peak. These are what make a learning environment rich," she wrote in a post on the school's website two years ago. "I'm sure they had run those drills, and it's because of Katherine and the foresight she had to make sure her staffers were prepared.". Nashville police have identified the six victims of the Covenant School shooting, who include the private Christian academy's headmistress, a custodian and the young daughter of the. And that radiance, I believe, was Jesus in her.. Hill worked as a custodian, and Peak was a substitute teacher. Covenant School student William Kinney was "quick to laugh" with an "unflappable spirit" and a gentle, "unfailingly kind" spirit, Kinney family friend Rachael Freitas wrote, on a verified GoFundMe website published Tuesday. The serene sense of safety inside The Covenant School in Nashville was shattered Monday when a former student burst into the private Christian school wielding an assault-style rifleand. People attend a vigil for those killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School on Monday. "We cannot believe this has happened. Mr. Bachmann said he decided to open the school in part because parents in the church lamented the difficulty of getting their children into other private schools in the area, which were already full. ", Hill's family issued a statement saying, "We pray for the Covenant School and are so grateful that Michael was beloved by the faculty and students who filled him with joy for 14 years. Daniel Diermeier, the chancellor of Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, said in an email to alumni that Dr. Koonce was a 1985 graduate of the universitys Peabody College of Education and Human Development. During a candlelight vigil in Nashville on Wednesday evening, a former local school administrator, Tricia Drake, told ABC News that she couldn't stop thinking about her last conversation with Koonce, who she said had advised her on how to best prepare for an active shooter scenario. Police officers investigated a house following a mass shooting at Covenant School, in Nashville on Monday. ", "We are heartbroken," Chad Scruggs told ABC News in a statement. Its blown me away, he said. ", Hill's family issued a statement saying, "We pray for the Covenant School and are so grateful that Michael was beloved by the faculty and students who filled him with joy for 14 years. She knew every single student by name, the parent added. Parents of students at the Covenant School were asked to come to the Woodmont Baptist Church, nearby, to reunite with their children, the authorities said. "It is our privilege to honor Katherine's legacy and to celebrate her remarkable spirit," they said. Many of the highest-profile school shootings in recent years have taken place at public schools, in part because there are far more public schools in the United States: Nearly 100,000, compared to about 30,000 private schools. I really want to learn from her spirit of serving people with kindness, he said, How can we respond in love and in care for every single member of our Nashville community? "We are grateful for the hope of Heaven. Attorney in Hearing Over Covenant School Public Records: 'We're Really Covenant Presbyterian Church, which founded and housed the Covenant School, is a prominent church affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America, a theologically conservative denomination. Nashville surgeon recalls waiting for Covenant School victims who never came 02:48. . It was such a sheer primal sense of terror., Eliza Fawcett,Ruth Graham and Emily Cochrane. She held her own against three boys, Davis said with a laugh. The attacker who fatally shot three children and three staff members at a Nashville school on Monday was identified as a former student at the school who the police said appeared to have written a manifesto about the attack and drawn maps of the campus. 22 likes, 0 comments - Chauncey Dandridge (@djchaunceyd) on Instagram: "Vigil/Action for Victims of The Covenant School Shooting in Tennessee Monday, April 3rd 6:30 NY P . We are about more than simply educating our students we are participating in the miracle of their development and seeing them transform into who they will be, she wrote. Emily Cochrane,Ben Shpigel,Michael Levenson and Jesus Jimnez. ", "We will never stop missing her," they added. Kris Brown, the president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, one of the countrys oldest gun control groups, denounced the frequency of mass shootings and urged people never to grow inured to them. Hallie was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, who is the lead pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to a statement from his former church in Dallas. As for the church and its teachings, Mr. Bachmann said, we were known to be conservative and biblical., You try to be loving of everybody, but the position of the Presbyterian Church in America is that homosexuality is a sin, he said. A statement from Koonces family released Wednesday called her devoted to her family, her friends, and especially the children she cared for., She gave her life to protect the students she loved, the statement said, adding: We are grateful for the prayers of many on our behalf, and we pray for the families of the six others who died.. I cant imagine a better head of a school. A parent of two children at the school told the BBC that Koonce did so much for those kids and now gave her life protecting them. The Green Hills community is. Do we bring them to school tomorrow? Ms. Trevathan, who had come with Pippa, a therapy dog in training, to offer support, characterized Dr. Koonce as very magnetic and strong, and recalled her passion for education, sense of humor and love for adventure. Deon J. Hampton is a national reporter for NBC News. A pediatric surgeon describes "waiting and waiting" for Nashville 'Unwavering faith in Christ:' Covenant victim's focus God, family, positivity. The kids loved him too.. How did a teen sleepover turn into a murder investigation? Another pastor, Jim Bachmann, said Hill was "one of those people you cannot not like" and that he made a point of learning the names of all the students and talking to them. She was "a sweet person from a sweet family," Chuck Owen told The Associated Press. Her LinkedIn profile says she has led the school since July 2016. Hill's family thanked the community "for all the continued thoughts and prayers. Bachmann said Hill was sometimes a greeter for church services at Stephens Valley Church in Nashville, where Bachmann is now the senior pastor. The school was founded in 2001 as a ministry of the Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to the schools website. These were some of the victims of Monday's rampage at The Covenant School in Nashville, where three students and three adults were killed. "There was a likely confrontation you could tell by the way she was laying, Chief John Drake said Tuesday. A school custodian who loved students like they were his own kids. May God comfort all who mourn.. She never wavered in her faith and we know she is wrapped in the arms of Jesus. Mourners gather at memorial outside The Covenant School and in other Nashville churches, Biden on Nashville shooting victims: They should still be with us. "If there was any trouble in that school, she would run to it, not from it," Jackie Bailey said of her friend Katherine Koonce, head of The Covenant School. These were some of the victims of Mondays rampage at The Covenant School in Nashville, where three students and three adults were killed. / CBS News. She never wavered in her faith and we know she is wrapped in the arms of Jesus. The alleged perpetrator, Audrey E Hale, was a 28-year-old former student, police have said. Kitty Bennett and Kirsten Noyes contributed research. ':Woman who survived Highland Park shooting makes plea in Nashville. We pray its an opportunity to show how the gospel gives us a hope the world cant understand.. "Through tears we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again.". The online portfolio included illustrations related to businesses around Nashville, including logos and splashy advertisements for a restaurant, a toy store and a video company. The Nashville police chief, John Drake, said the police had found maps of the school that were drawn in detail and which noted the location of school surveillance cameras, entry points and other features. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The six victims of a fatal shooting at a private Christian elementary school in Tennessee's capital city have been identified by police. Youve got it.. The Metro Nashville Police Department . Follow the latest updates on the Covenant School shooting as they happen in our live blog here. At one point, the shooter can be seen walking in and out of the church office and down a hallway past the childrens ministry, as the lights of what appear to be a fire alarm flash. Zelenskyy visits Snake Island to mark war milestone; Russian strikes continue, Gunman on scooter opens fire in New York City, kills 1 and wounds 3, Manhunt on for homicide suspect who escaped Pennsylvania jail, Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe will retire after 2023 season, Court: Tennessee ban on transgender care for minors can be enforced, Extremely overdue book returned to Massachusetts library 119 years later, Six people killed in small plane crash in California, Chicago investigates officer sex misconduct allegations involving migrants, Newsom won't appeal parole of Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Just before 10:15 a.m., six people, including three children, were killed at The Covenant School, part of Covenant Presbyterian . The shooting shattered the wealthy enclave of Green Hills, a few miles south of downtown Nashville, where the small school and stone church sit atop a hill, nestled in a residential neighborhood filled with stately homes and lush landscaping. Surveillance video released by the police on Monday night showed the shooter drive up to the school in what the police described as a Honda Fit. The authorities identified the adults killed in the mass shooting as staff members. He said the police were in touch with the shooters father, and that it was not immediately clear when the assailant had attended the school. People walk past the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, where victims were taken after a shooting at the Covenant School. Authorities identified Cynthia Peak as a substitute teacher who was working at The Covenant School. "Cindy was supposed to come over to have dinner with Maria last night after she filled in as a substitute teacher yesterday at Covenant.". Funeral held for custodian killed in Nashville attack Of the three 9-year-old children whose lives were abruptly ended, one was Hallie Scruggs; she was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to a biography published online by his former church in Dallas. according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. "I was just telling my friends, 'I'm sure Katherine will come out. The shooter was . Barrett Severance, a former student of Koonce's at another school, described her as "a champion for all students" and someone full of life who "had a lot more to give.". Outside of Woodmont Baptist Church, after a heavily armed assailant entered the nearby Covenant School in Nashville and fatally shot. Evelyn was a shining light in this world.". At hospital, the agony of not being able to help school shooting "Cindy was supposed to come over to have dinner with Maria last night after she filled in as a substitute teacher yesterday at Covenant.". The scene outside a nearby church that had been set up as a reunification area for parents to meet their children. "We pray for the Covenant School and are so grateful that Michael was beloved by the faculty and students who filled him with joy for 14 years.". This resolution condemns the act of violence that occurred at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, 2023, and recognizes it as a hate crime targeting Christians. opposes. "We are grateful for the hope of Heaven. Its about time that we begin to make some progress, Mr. Biden said. Here's what we know about the slain so far: Evelyn Dieckhaus was a third-grader at the Covenant School. In an interview with ABCs Nightline that month, she described how her son, who was then 6, seemed to freeze with fear when the shots rang out and the panicked crowd began running to safety. WASHINGTON President Biden addressed the deadly shooting in Nashville on Monday, calling the deaths of six people, including three elementary school children, a familys worst nightmare, and urging Congress to enact gun-control legislation. Surveillance video shows an attacker whom the police identified as Audrey E. Hale driving up to the Covenant School in Nashville, and then shooting out the entrance doors to get into the building. Suspect in custody after 2 people reportedly shot in Santa Monica, 6 people injured during shooting at El Paso party, Texas police say, PetSmart to pay $1.46M to resolve suit alleging overcharging customers. Its about time that we begin to make some progress.. In a video statement released Tuesday evening, Tennessee Gov. ", "It is comforting and uplifting for all of us," they said. I think thats the best way to honor her memory.. Tennessee Gov. Katherine Koonce was the head of the Covenant School, according to police. Pastor Tim Dunavant, of the Hartsville First United Methodist Church, said that he hired Hill to work at Covenant more than a decade ago. An earlier version of this article misstated the ratio of students to teachers at the Covenant School. Children and teachers descended one by one from the steps of three school buses into a church building two miles from the Covenant School to reunite with parents. The ban blocked the sale of 19 weapons similar to those used by the United States military, including semiautomatic rifles and certain types of shotguns and handguns, and it was opposed by Republicans and the National Rifle Association. The victims identified by police are children Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney . "Our hearts are completely broken," the Dieckaus family said in a statement. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Authorities identified the victims at the small Christian school as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all age 9; school head Katherine Koonce, 60; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and school custodian Mike Hill, 61. Investigators haven't found evidence that the assailant specifically targeted any of the victims, and a motive for the shooting remains unknown. Clockwise from top left, Hallie Scruggs, Cynthia Peak, Evelyn Dieckhaus, Katherine Koonce and Michael Hill. She recalled Dr. Koonces passion for education, her sense of humor and love for adventure. Peak was one of the first lady's best friends. The Scruggs Family will hold a funeral service for Hallie on Saturday, April 1 at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Its going to be your kid and your kid and your kid and your kid next because its just a matter of time.. John Amis / AP Mass shootings are shockingly common in America. Chief Drake said the shooter identified as transgender. "She gave her life to protect the students she loved. "She was trying to protect those kids That's just what I believe.". John Amis/AP. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Our friends are walking through the unimaginablelosing their son at the Covenant School shooting," Freitas wrote. "My last conversation with her, in August, was about who she used for her active shooter training because I know that she would have researched somebody," Drake said in a tearful interview. Covenant School Shooting: What we know about the victims Three students and three staff members were shot and killed at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning. Covenant School Shooting: Everything known about Nashville school Enough is enough, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said Monday. In blog posts and videos, Koonce often stressed the importance of the school's staff loving their students and making students feel valued. That school has grown more concerned about safety. She was strong and steady and hilarious with an amazing sense of humor, ABC quoted Sissy Goff as saying. Mike Hill was a custodian at the Covenant School, according to police. "Her favorite roles in life were being a mom to her three children, a wife to her husband, and an educator to students. We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie," Mark Davis, senior pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, said in a statement. Mr. LaSuer said he had been stunned by Mondays developments. As a senator in 1994, Mr. Biden negotiated a 10-year assault weapons ban as part of a broader crime bill. Three nine-year-old children and three adults arrived at the Covenant School, a small, private Christian academy in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday for what appeared to be a normal day of school. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the victims as. But I have a feeling, when it all comes out, Mike's sacrifice saved lives," Dunavant wrote. ", "We are heartbroken," he told ABC News in a statement. The attacker, who was identified by the police as a 28-year-old from Nashville named Audrey Hale, had entered the Covenant School through a side door, armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun, the spokesman, Don Aaron, said at the news conference. The attacker went from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots, Mr. Aaron said. And a school leader who was determined to help every child, no matter what challenges they faced. Nashville victims: three nine-year-olds and school head among six shot Here's what we know so far about the shooting victims, their funeral information and fundraisers in their honor. 'Nightmare': Parents of 2 children killed in The Covenant School mass Their whole lives changed today.. ", "Cindy was a pillar of the community, and a teacher beloved by all her students," her family told ABC News in a statement. Nashville police said in a written statement and news conference that a 28-year-old former student entered The Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, 2023, just after 10 a.m., and opened fire . ABC News' Miles Cohen, Duan Perrin and Lisa Siversten contributed to this report. The other two were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney. Details are still emerging about the six people killed in a mass shooting on Monday at the Covenant School in Nashville. I was not a great student, so I saw Katherine before school and after school and in the summers in between. "She wasn't Wonder Woman, but I never saw the two in the same place," she said. Drake, who declined to say the name of the Nashville school she used to work for, said she underwent the same active shooter training that Koonce used and that the key is to adopt a "warrior mentality," accepting injury rather than death.
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