Nashville school shooting: First pictures emerge of victims of attack, including nine-year-old girl and headteacher

Images of five victims of a shooting at a school in Nashville have been released.

Six people, including three children, were all shot dead by Audrey Elizabeth Hale after the former student opened fire in the private Covenant School in the Tennessee state capital.

The six victims have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged nine, 61-year-olds Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce.

Pictures have so far been released of Mr Hill, Ms Koonce, Ms Peak and nine-year-olds Hallie and Evelyn.

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Hallie was the daughter of the pastor whose church runs the school.

The three adults were all staff, Ms Koonce was the headteacher, Ms Peak a substitute teacher and Mr Hill was a caretaker.

Evelyn Dieckhaus' family said: "Our hearts are completely broken. We cannot believe this has happened. Evelyn was a shining light in this world. We appreciate all the love and support but ask for space as we grieve."

"We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie," Park Cities Presbyterian Church senior pastor Mark Davis said in a statement.

"Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need."

Mr Hill's family said he was a father of seven, and had 14 grandchildren.

His daughter Marquita Oglesby said: "We would like to thank the Nashville community for all the continued thoughts and prayers. As we grieve and try to grasp any sense of understanding of why this happened, we continue to ask for support.

"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."

The Covenant School in Nashville has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members.

Hale had a manifesto and detailed maps of the school, and entered the building by shooting through its doors and starting on a killing spree.

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Police chief John Drake said: "We have a manifesto. We have some writings that we're going over that pertain to this day, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out about how this was all going to take place."

Officers started receiving reports of an attack at 10.13am (4.13pm UK time) and as police began clearing the ground floor of the school they heard gunfire coming from the second floor.

Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response and fatally shot the suspect at 10.27am (4.27pm).

Hale's motive for the attack is not yet known.