Nashville school shooting – live: Evelyn Dieckhaus called ‘shining light’ as first funeral takes place

The funeral of Evelyn Dieckhaus, one of three nine-year-old children killed at the Covenant School shooting, took place on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

Evelyn was remembered as a “shining light” in the funeral, which was closed to the media, at the Woodmont Christian Church in the Green Hills neighbourhood of the city.

Before the service, the church’s senior minister, the Rev Clay Stauffer, described the youngster as “radiant.”

Evelyn was killed while leading her classmates to safety in response to a fire alarm seemingly tripped by the attacker, her family believes.

Services for substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and Hallie Scruggs, nine, will be held on Saturday. Nine-year-old William Kinney's funeral will take place on Sunday, while services for Mike Hill, 61, the school’s custodian, will be held on Tuesday and the funeral for head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, will take place on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, police have released the chilling 911 calls they received from inside the Covenant School as the shooter – since identified by law enforcement as Audrey Hale, 28, a former student of the private Christian elementary school – broke into the building and opened fire.

A manifesto written by the suspect is soon expected to released by officers investigating the deadly attack.

Key Points

• Student victim gunned down while leading friends to safety, family says

• First funerals of Nashville victims to take place

• Hundreds demand gun reform at Tennessee State Capitol

• Nashville shooting 911 calls capture terror inside school: ‘I’m hearing more shots, please hurry!’

• Audrey Hale’s manifesto ‘set to be released’ as motive speculation mounts

Nashville shooting timeline: What we know so far

Thursday 30 March 2023 09:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Monday’s shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville unfolded over approximately 15 minutes as a shooter opened fire inside, killing six people, before police arrived and fatally shot the suspect.

Three children and three adults were killed in the shooting at The Covenant School.

Here’s a look at what is known about the shooting and the Nashville police response:

Nashville shooting timeline: What we know so far

Audrey Hale’s manifesto ‘set to be released’ as motive speculation mounts

Thursday 30 March 2023 09:36 , Joe Sommerlad

The manifesto left behind by Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale is reportedly due to be released shortly after being scrutinised by a team of criminal profilers from the FBI, a Nashville City Council member has told The New York Post.

Robert Swope told the newspaper that the bureaus Behavioral Analysis Unit has been working “in tandem with” the Metro Nashville Police Department to carry out “a very in-depth analysis of certain aspects of the shooter’s life.”

“The manifesto is going to be released. It’s just a matter of when. There are some incredibly brilliant psychological minds and psychological analysts combing through her entire life.”

It is hoped the document will shed some definitive light on precisely why Hale carried out the attack, as speculation mounts.

No motivation for the attack has yet been established but on Wednesday it emerged that Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher, offering a possible clue.

Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a social media post from the suspect “openly grieving” an individual and said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.

Further reports quoting friends of Hale indicated the suspect had been left grief-stricken by the death of Sydney Shere Sims in a traffic accident in August 2022, a former classmate from the Isaiah T Creswell Middle School of the Arts and the Nashville School of the Arts whom Hale “definitely admired”.

One classmate, Samira Hardcastle, told The Post Hale had been “heartbroken” over the tragedy and characterised the suspect’s feelings as “maybe even infatuation” towards Sims, someone they “really, really looked up to”.

Sims’s family declined to comment further to The Independent.

Here’s my colleague Rachel Sharp’s report.

Nashville school shooter’s chilling manifesto to be released to public

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder’: Nashville youth at school shooting vigil share their anger

Thursday 30 March 2023 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn attended a candlelit vigil for the victims of Monday’s shooting in Nashville last night.

This is her devastating report from the scene.

“We need to fight harder and scream louder, march harder,” local resident El Egan, 23, told her.

“We can’t give up on this fight. We have to fight like our lives depend on it, because they do – and the lives of our kids. And our kids are our lifeline. They’re our future. And we have to fight accordingly.”

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder:’ Nashville youth share their anger at vigil

Kevin McCarthy refuses to commit to gun control legislation

Thursday 30 March 2023 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy offered a desperately weak response to Monday’s tragedy when confronted by journalists Washington, DC, on Wednesday, insisting lawmakers must see “all the facts” before any new gun legislation can be considered.

The facts – six people shot dead, three of them nine-year-old children, by a civilian bearing two military-grade assault rifles in the 130th such episode this calendar year before the end of March – surely speak for themselves.

“We want to see all the facts, we need to get the facts,” he insisted, before refusing to define precisely what he meant by “facts” and then turning on his heel and leaving.

It is clear that any fresh firearms laws tightening restrictions in response to Nashville will face an uphill battle in DC, with President Biden admitting earlier this week: “I can’t do anything except plead with the Congress to act reasonably.”

“I have done the full extent of my executive authority – to do on my own, anything about guns… The Congress has to act,” he continued.

“The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre, it’s a crazy idea. They’re against that. And so I think the Congress could be passing an assault weapon ban.”

Josh Hawley branded ‘fraud and coward’ over Nashville response

Thursday 30 March 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

With emotions running high on Capitol Hill, Missouri Republican senator Josh Hawley has been labelled “a fraud and a coward” by a Democratic rival after calling for the shooting to be investigated as a hate crime against Christians, despite having been the only member of the Senate to vote against a bill to crack down on hate crimes against Asian Americans two years ago.

In making that protest, Hawley said the bill in question threatened to “turn the federal government into the speech police [and] give government sweeping authority to decide what counts as offensive speech and then monitor it”.

No motive has yet been revealed to explain Audrey Hale’s actions but that did not stop Hawley grandstanding in the Senate and announcing he had written to FBI director Christopher Wray and homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to demand an investigation.

“It is commonplace to call such horror senseless violence. But properly speaking, that is false. Police report the attack here was targeted… against Christians,” Hawley told his fellow senators on Wednesday.

“I urge you to immediately open an investigation into this shooting as a federal hate crime. The full resources of the federal government must be brought to bear… Hate that leads to violence must be condemned and hate crimes must be prosecuted.”

Repulsed by his hypocrisy, Democrat Lucas Kunce, also representing Missouri, said: “One out of 100 senators voted against the anti-hate crime bill in 2021. His name is Josh Hawley. He’s a fraud and a coward. Some days it’s more obvious than others.”

On the prospect of opening a federal hate crimes probe into the Nashville attack, US attorney general Merrick Garland said: “As of now, motive hasn’t been identified. We are certainly working full time with [federal agencies and law enforcement] to determine what the motive is and of course motive is what determines whether it’s a hate crime or not.”

Ex-police officer who conducted active shooter drills at Covenant School praises teachers

Thursday 30 March 2023 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Brink Fidler, an ex-police officer who has conducted active shooting drills at The Covenant School in the past and knew some of the victims of the shooting, has spoken to Erin Burnett on CNN’s Out Front and praised staff for their “literally flawless” response to the attack.

Fidler said he had known custodian Mike Hill and particularly headmistress Katherine Koonce, who he said “understood the severity” of the risk posed by mass shootings and had actively sought out his help in training and preparing her staff for such an eventuality.

“This story… is about these teachers,” he said. “People are talking about the training we did with them and, yes, training is important, but I wasn’t here on Monday. They were here, right?

“Their ability to execute, literally flawlessly, under that amount of stress while someone is trying to murder them and their children… that is what made the difference here… These teachers are the reason those kids went home to their families.”

Alec Baldwin told to ‘read the room’ after posting in support of gun control

Thursday 30 March 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin – who was charged with involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died of a gunshot wound on the set of his Western Rust in 2021, to which he has pleaded not guilty – has attracted scorn after posting a message in support of gun control on Instagram.

Baldwin, reposted (without comment) a message from musician Peter Frampton that read: “26 years ago, a gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, killing 16 kids and a teacher. The UK govt responded by enacting tight gun control legislation. In the 9400+ days since, there have been a total of 0 school shootings in the UK.”

The post drew all manner of nasty responses alluding to the accusation against Baldwin, of which the following is typical: “Read the room Alec. You are unbelievable.”

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Thursday 30 March 2023 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Republicans’ lack of interest in enacting stronger gun laws on Wednesday in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Tennessee, calling their attitude “unacceptable”.

The White House added that the GOP lacks the fortitude to address the recurring horror of seeing children gunned down in their places of learning.

Ms Jean-Pierre was speaking to reporters at the daily White House press briefing when she was asked about Republican arguments that it’s impractical to enact the renewed assault weapons ban favoured by President Biden because 25m military-style semi-automatic weapons are currently in Americans’ homes.

Pressed on how the president would respond to that argument, she replied: “That’s unacceptable”.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Tennessee governor reveals Nashville shooting victim was friend and was due to have dinner with him that night

Thursday 30 March 2023 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Rachel Sharp has more on Republican Bill Lee’s video last night in which he revealed that he and his wife were friends with shooting victims Katherine Koonce and Cynthia Peak and that the latter was due to have dinner with them on the night she was killed.

Nashville shooting victim was family friend of Tennessee governor

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme in wake of Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The press secretary for Arizona governor Katie Hobbs has resigned after facing strong criticism for posting a meme suggesting violent measures against transphobes in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

Police have said that the suspect in the shooting, Audrey Hale, 28, was a trans man, prompting dangerous anti-trans rhetoric from Republican lawmakers and far-right figures, as reported by The Independent.

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme

Biden acknowledges demand for new gun laws be says he ‘can’t do anything except plead with Congress’

Thursday 30 March 2023 14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

With Republicans controlling the House of Representatives in the wake of last November’s midterms, achieving any meaningful change to firearms regulations is a dimmer prospect than ever right now, hence the president’s dismayed tone.

Right-wing bgun industry apologists are already striving to characterise Audrey Hale’s actions as a mental health matter unrelated to the ready availability of military-grade weapons.

Biden says ‘Congress has to act’ on stronger gun laws

‘We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville'

Thursday 30 March 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The right is the radicalised threat to public safety, not the LGBTQ community – I have the receipts to prove it, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan for Indy Voices.

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices

Pictures from Nashville candlelight vigil

Thursday 30 March 2023 17:44 , Graeme Massie

Protesters flood Tennessee capitol building to demand action from state lawmakers

Thursday 30 March 2023 18:46 , Graeme Massie

Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:00 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.

According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.

Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:02 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.

According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.

More than $470,000 raised for those impacted by shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:46 , Graeme Massie

The Care for Covenant Fund has raised $474,254 as of Thursday morning, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee told The Tennessean.

The money will be “directed to The Covenant School to support the healing of those affected by this tragedy,” the foundation’s website states.

Comfort dogs help at Covenant School memorial site and nearby schools

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:58 , Graeme Massie

The golden retrievers were brought to Nashville by Lutheran Church Charities.

“LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs brought a presence of peace and comfort to those who were paying their respects at the memorial site,” the group said on Facebook.

GoFundMe for Mike Hill passes $550,000

Thursday 30 March 2023 21:06 , Graeme Massie

Hill was shot dead by Audrey Hale at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser had collected $552, 955 after starting with a target of $25,000.

“Mike was the beloved father of eight children. More notably, he was “Big Mike” to his students, who will surely feel his loss in the years to come. Per his family, he took great pleasure and found tremendous joy in his job and through those students. Funeral arrangements are being made over the next day or so, and will be shared only with the blessing of Mike’s family,” the GoFundMe reads.

Nashville school shooter previously posted online about death of partner, says teacher

Thursday 30 March 2023 21:41 , Graeme Massie

Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher.

Art college instructor Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a Facebook post from the shooter “openly grieving” the individual.

Speaking to The New York Times, Ms Colomy said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.

“She had been openly grieving about that on social media, and during the grieving is when she announced that she wanted to be addressed as a male,” the teacher said.

Nashville school shooter posted online about death of partner, says teacher

Kevin McCarthy refuses to commit to gun control legislation

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:21 , Graeme Massie

“There’s not one person in America who doesn’t want to try to solve all this,” the Speaker of the House said on Thursday when asked about the GOP’s plans to deal with mass shootings. “We want to make sure we’re taking all the information.”

And he added: “I would say to the nation as a whole that the problem that we [have] today, it’s not just going to be legislation. We’ve got to have a severe conversation here with this country. We’ve got to deal with mental illness.”

Mr McCarthy continued later, “I don’t think one piece of legislation solves this. I think a nation together, working together, solves a problem that’s much bigger than us.”

Lawmaker calls for ‘revival’ after Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:40 , Graeme Massie

A Tennessee lawmaker who said that gun violence cannot “be fixed” by politicians has now called for a “revival” in the wake of the Nashville shooting.

Congressman Tim Burchett made his latest comments on Fox News after being heavily criticised for his immediate comments after the Covenant School killings.

“As I’ve stated, we’re a sick nation,” he said. “We need to repent and, honestly, we need a revival. It’s made a lot of people mad that I’ve said that, but it really is. There’s no other answer for it.”

And he blamed the reaction to his comments on people not liking the “thoughts and prayers” response often given by Republicans after mass shootings in the US

“I think they come back to me and say, ‘Look what your prayers have done for us,’ and the people doing the praying aren’t the ones doing the shooting.”

Chilling 911 call captures terrified caller inside Nashville school during shooting 5tRvZl6s

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:53 , Graeme Massie

Democrats criticise GOP over gun policies

Thursday 30 March 2023 23:18 , Graeme Massie

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder’: Nashville youth at school shooting vigil share their anger

Thursday 30 March 2023 23:58 , Graeme Massie

First lady Jill Biden and singer Sheryl Crow stood before hundreds in Nashville as mourners held candles, prayed and shared their frustration at yet another deadly school shooting on American soil, writes Sheila Flynn from Tennessee.

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder:’ Nashville youth share their anger at vigil

Nashville shooting 911 calls capture terror inside school: ‘I’m hearing more shots, please hurry!’

Friday 31 March 2023 01:03 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities released the recordings on Thursday.

Nashville shooting 911 calls capture terror inside school

Protesters flood Tennessee capitol building to demand action from state lawmakers

Friday 31 March 2023 02:04 , Graeme Massie

Friday 31 March 2023 03:08 , Graeme Massie

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene’s tweets over Nashville shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 04:03 , Graeme Massie

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed fellow congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments blaming gender-affirming care for Monday’s events in Nashville.

Almost immediately after the story broke, Ms Greene pointed to the shooter’s supposed gender identity in a series of tweets as malicious as they were illiterate.

“How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking,” the Georgia Republican tweeted. “Everyone can stop blaming guns now.”

Responding after a House vote on Monday evening, Ms Ocasio-Cortez justly slammed the remarks.

“It’s absolutely disgusting and she should be looking into a mirror as to why she’s defending and posing with the same weapons that are being used to kill children, teachers and educators,” she told The Independent.

Eric Garcia has more.

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic tweets over Nashville shooting

Funerals set for three of Nashville school shooting victims

Friday 31 March 2023 04:30 , Namita Singh

Funeral arrangements were disclosed for one of the adults and two of the children who were killed in this week’s school shooting in Nashville, as the grieving city mourns the victims of the horrific attack that transformed what should have been a normal day of school on a bright, sunny morning into wrenching tragedy.

Heartbreaking new details continued to emerge about the lives of the three adults and three 9-year-old students who police say were killed during the shooting Monday at The Covenant School.

The children have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Also killed were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school; Mike Hill, 61, a custodian; and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher.

More on the funeral service for the victims in this report:

Funerals set for 3 of the Nashville school shooting victims

What we know about the victims of the Nashville school shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 05:05 , Graeme Massie

Pupils Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, and staff members Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill were all shot dead at The Covenant School on Monday.

Here’s a reminder of what we know about them.

What we know about the victims of the Nashville school shooting

‘A constant beacon of joy’

Friday 31 March 2023 05:30 , Namita Singh

The family of nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus has been described by her family in her obituary as “a constant beacon of joy” who loved art, music, animals and snuggling with her older sister on the couch.

“With an unwavering faith in the goodness of others, Evelyn made people feel known, seen, but never judged,” they added.

“Her adoring family members agree that ‘she was everyone’s safe space.’”

In pre-school, Evelyn “would often position herself between two younger babies, intuitively offering comfort by patting their backs.” She would greet people with open arms and an infectious laugh, the obituary said.

Evelyn enjoyed crafting and drawing, and her teachers “would observe Evelyn studying the world around her with curiosity, eagerness, and clarity,” according to the obituary.

She also liked to sing along to tunes by Taylor Swift and from the Broadway show Hamilton. She also loved her dogs, Mable and Birdie, and wanted a rat for her 10th birthday present.

“Strong but never pushy, she had self-composure and poise beyond her years,” the obituary said. “This girl ‘could read a room.’”

In video: Students swarm Tennessee State Capitol in gun satefy protest after Nashville shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 06:40 , Namita Singh

Students swarm Tennessee State Capitol in gun satefy protest

Some staff members at Nashville school were armed, 911 call reveals

Friday 31 March 2023 08:30 , Namita Singh

Some staff members at The Covenant School were armed, a 911 call from the incident has revealed.

My colleague Sravasti Dasgupta has more details.

Some staff members at Nashville school were armed, 911 call reveals

Hundreds march into Tennessee State Capitol demanding gun reform after Nashville shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 09:30 , Namita Singh

Mothers, children and angry voters waved placards and demanded action on Thursday outside the Tennessee State Capitol, and 200 protested entered the building, three days after yet another school shooter killed three adults and three nine-year-olds in Nashville.

Rally attendees told The Independent’s Sheila Flynn how they hope their fear — and furious cries — will motivate lawmakers to act.

Hundreds demand gun reform at Tennessee State Capitol

‘We're scared for our lives every single day’

Friday 31 March 2023 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here are a few more scenes from yesterday’s emotional demonstration at the Tennessee State Capitol as people gathered to demand action on gun control.

“You work for us! Not the NRA!” the protestors pointedly told lawmakers.

One woman held up a placard asking simply: “Am I next?”

Karine Jean-Pierre: ‘We’ve heard nothing from Republicans on what they will do to stop kids from being murdered in our schools’

Friday 31 March 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

In Washington yesterday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rebuked congressional Republicans for their inert response to the tragedy, typified by House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s limp appeal for pause until “all the facts” have been gathered.

In the Senate, Ted Cruz of Texas offered this utterly useless contribution and was rebuked for it by Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy.

Meanwhile, former vice president (and possible Republican presidential contender in 2024) Mike Pence told Wolf Blitzer on CNN that the death penalty is the answer to mass shootings.

Students across Nashville plan Monday walkout protest

Friday 31 March 2023 18:27 , Graeme Massie

The walkout is scheduled for Monday 3 April with a march to the State Capitol organised by the March For Our Lives group.

“Precisely one week after the shooting at The Covenant School, youth from colleges and schools throughout Nashville will walk out of their classrooms and into the streets with the clear message: Stop fighting culture wars and start regulating weapons of war,” a statement from the group said.

Tennessee lawmaker wants officerrs toi receive Congressional gold medal

Friday 31 March 2023 18:52 , Graeme Massie

Congressman Andy Ogles, who represents Tennessee’s 5^th Congressional district, which includes The Covenant School, has filed paperwork for MNPD officers Michael Collazo and Rex Engelbert to receive the award.

“In the face of danger, Officers Engelbert and Collazo ran headfirst without hesitation. Their heroic actions were exemplary and selfless,” said Mr Ogles.

“Such bravery and valor deserve honor, which is why I have introduced the Covenant School Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act. Officer Engelbert and Officer Collazo, thank you for your dedication to protecting your community from evil actors.

“The community of the Covenant School in Nashville will never be the same. The losses of Hallie Scruggs, Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, Dr. Katherine Koonce, Mark Hill, and Cynthia Peak will be felt for the rest of our earthly lives.”

First funerals of Nashville victims to take place

Friday 31 March 2023 19:46 , Graeme Massie

The first funeral for one of the victims of Monday’s horrific Nashville school shooting, nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, is set to take place on Friday as the Tennessee city mourns its dead. Attendees are being asked to wear pink and green to the ceremony.

Services for substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and Hallie Scruggs, nine, will be held on Saturday. Nine-year-old William Kinney's funeral will take place on Sunday, while services for Mike Hill, 61, the school's custodian, will be held on Tuesday and the funeral for head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, will take place on Wednesday.

Funerals set for 3 of the Nashville school shooting victims

Student victim gunned down while leading friends to safety, family says

Friday 31 March 2023 20:29 , Graeme Massie

Evelyn Dieckhaus, nine, one of the victims of Monday’s horrific Nashville school shooting, was killed while leading her classmates to safety in response to a fire alarm seemingly tripped by the attacker, her family believes.

Her aunt, Kelly Dorrance, wrote in an private Instagram post since provided to The Daily Beast: “We’re finding out the shooter may have pulled the fire alarm to get kids out of their classroom. Evelyn being one of the class leaders was at the front of the line assuming fire drill.

“She was trying to lead her classmates to safety and possibly didn’t hear the shouts to come back in the room. Things children should never worry about.”

Dorrance told the outlet her niece was “radiant – a beacon of joy in our family. She had a calm confidence and a natural sense of purpose – alongside a whip smart sense of humor and a sly little smile.”

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department meanwhile confirmed to the same source that its investigation currently indicates “that the alarm originated from the area of the shooter’s entry” at The Covenant School on Monday morning.

Family of Nashville shooting victim, 9, say she died trying to lead friends to safety

Tennessee among half of states with permitless concealed carry law in place

Friday 31 March 2023 20:57 , Graeme Massie

In the weeks before Monday’s horror in Nashville, Tennessee lawmakers considered several pieces of legislation to loosen restrictions on firearms.

The proposals were introduced two years after Republican governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law that makes it easier for people to openly carry handguns in the state without a permit. Tennessee is one of 25 states with a permitless concealed carry law, a measure that has been rapidly adopted by lawmakers across the US as part of what right-wing activists have called a “constitutional carry” movement in recognition of the Second Amendment.

The same year Tennessee’s legislation was signed into law, lawmakers approved similar measures in Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Texas and Utah. In 2022, lawmakers passed similar bills in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio.

Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, a probable presidential candidate in 2024, is expected to sign a similar measure into law this year after its passage in a GOP-controlled legislature.

Tennessee’s law allows most people 21 and older to carry handguns openly or concealed without a permit. It also extends those exceptions to US military service members from age 18.

Tennessee is among half of US states with permitless concealed carry law

Chilling police call Audrey Hale’s friend made sounding alarm before Nashville shooting is released

Friday 31 March 2023 21:26 , Graeme Massie

Audio from a phone call made by Averianna Patton – the friend of Audrey Hale who received that string of alarming Instagram messages just prior to the shootings – in which she tries to report her concerns about the latter’s social media posts has been published for the first time.

Chilling police call Audrey Hale’s friend made before Nashville shooting is released

How many school shootings have there been this year?

Friday 31 March 2023 21:56 , Graeme Massie

Monday’s mass shooting was just the latest instance of America’s worsening gun violence epidemic.

According to a Washington Post database, there have been 17 school shootings this year already. Overall, in 2023, counting the Nashville shooting, there have been at least 39 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 18 deaths, according to data from Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group.

Only three months into the year, 2023 has already seen more gun deaths on school grounds than in past years like 2016 and appears set to eclipse totals from other years like 2020, 2017 and 2014.

How many schools shootings have there been this year after Nashville massacre?

Family and friends remember Evelyn Dieckhaus at first Nashville shooting funeral

Friday 31 March 2023 22:22 , Graeme Massie

The funeral of Evelyn Dieckhaus, one of three nine-year-old children killed at the Covenant School shooting, took place on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

Evelyn was remembered as a “shining light” in the funeral, which was closed to the media, at the Woodmont Christian Church in the Green Hills neighbourhood of the city.

Before the service, the church’s senior minister, the Rev Clay Stauffer, described the youngster as “radiant.”

“She was a shining light. She was radiant,” Rev Stauffer told the Associated Press. “I think our challenge is to take her light and keep spreading it to a world that has so much darkness and pain.”

How to help those impacted by Nashville school shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 22:25 , Graeme Massie

As details continue to emerge about Audrey Hale and Monday’s shooting, the tragedy has left many eager to help the victims’ families and the wider community.

Here are some ways you can support and aid a city in mourning.

How to help those impacted by Nashville school shooting

Audrey Hale became ‘infatuated’ with dead schoolmate in months leading up to Nashville shooting

Friday 31 March 2023 22:58 , Graeme Massie

Here’s Rachel Sharp with the latest on the suspect’s possible motivation for Monday’s attack.

Audrey Hale became ‘infatuated’ with dead schoolmate before Nashville shooting

Jeffries writes to McCarthy asking for ‘common sense’ gun control legislation

Friday 31 March 2023 23:27 , Graeme Massie

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has written to Speaker Kevin McCarthy asking him to push forward gun control legislation.

“I write today to strongly urge you to immediately bring up common sense gun safety legislation for a vote upon our return to Congress,” the Democrat wrote in his letter.

ICYMI: Georgia Tech coach breaks down and makes passionate plea after Nashville shooting

Saturday 1 April 2023 00:00 , Graeme Massie

Football coach Brent Key became emotional yesterday as he spoke about the deadly shooting in Nashville.

Key choked up as he described how his mother was a teacher and pleaded for “something” to change.

“As long as people sit up there and bicker and argue, more and more kids are going to die,” Mr Key said. “So something’s gotta change. Everybody please, do something.”

Georgia Tech coach breaks down and makes passionate plea after Nashville shooting

'We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville’

Saturday 1 April 2023 01:04 , Graeme Massie

For Indy Voices, Skylar Baker-Jordan offers an impassioned answer to attempts by the right to co-opt The Covenant School massacre as part of its vile war against the LGBT+ community.

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices

America’s gun lobby counts major legislative victories after Nashville. Republicans shrug off reform

Saturday 1 April 2023 01:32 , Graeme Massie

State lawmakers across the country are making it easier to buy and carry guns, while GOP members of Congress insist there’s nothing they can do to stop gun violence, Alex Woodward reports.

Republicans shrug off reform as America’s gun lobby counts major victories

Democrat and Republican in Capitol shouting match over gun safety

Saturday 1 April 2023 02:06 , Graeme Massie

Two opposing US congressmen drew crowds of onlookers as they engaged in a blazing argument this week over gun control in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman, himself a former teacher, had been giving a furious speech to reporters in a corridor outside the House of Representatives, accusing the Republicans of inaction.

“They’re cowards. They’re all cowards! They won’t do anything to save the lives of our children,” yelled Mr Bowman, a former school principal.

Kentucky GOP representative Thomas Massie then tried to butt in, prompting a shouting match between the two men.

Democrat and Republican in gun safety shouting match: ‘Calm down? Children are dying’

Some staff members at Nashville school were armed, 911 call reveals

Saturday 1 April 2023 03:10 , Graeme Massie

A woman who called 911 while hiding under a desk during Monday’s shooting told the dispatcher that one or two staff members on site were carrying guns, The Tennessean reported on Thursday, a detail not previously known.

The revelation came as officials released two dozen 911 calls and recordings of emergency dispatches from the attack.

Some staff members at Nashville school were armed, 911 call reveals

What we know about the victims of the Nashville school shooting

Saturday 1 April 2023 04:04 , Graeme Massie

As the first funerals from Monday’s atrocity begin to take place, here is everything we know about those who lost their lives.

What we know about the victims of the Nashville school shooting

Despite school shooting, Tennessee's gun laws likely to remain lax

Saturday 1 April 2023 05:02 , Graeme Massie

As Nashville residents reel from the fatal grade school shooting that left six dead, a federal judge has quietly cleared the way to drop the minimum age for Tennesseans to carry handguns publicly without a permit to 18 — just two years after a new law set the age at 21.

The move marked yet another relaxation of gun laws in ruby-red Tennessee, where Republican leaders have steadily chipped away at firearms regulations and lambasted those who have warned that doing so comes at a cost.

After school shooting, Tenn. gun laws likely to remain lax

After school shooting, some trans Tennesseans face backlash

Saturday 1 April 2023 06:06 , Graeme Massie

When Nashville police announced that the shooter who killed three children and three adults at a school this week was transgender, trans Tennesseans braced themselves for renewed vitriol in a state that has recently proposed a raft of anti-trans laws.

Soon enough, some prominent Republicans, including JD Vance, a senator from Ohio, and representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, suggested in social media posts that the shooter’s gender identity may have been a factor in the murders.

Police later said they did not know the shooter’s gender identity.

Even before the shooting, many transgender Tennesseans felt villainised by their state’s efforts to regulate the lives of gay and trans people, and were increasingly fearful for their safety.

“This isn’t a trans issue, this is a gun issue,” said Mykul Coscia, a drag king at Nashville’s Play Dance Bar, an LGTBQ nightclub. “But they’re gonna make it a trans issue.”

Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature recently banned gender-affirming medical care, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for anyone under 18, despite US medical associations saying such treatment can save lives.

It also restricted drag shows in public in an ambiguously worded law taking effect this weekend that includes “male or female impersonators” in the same X-rated category as strippers. As that bill progressed, armed neo-Nazis and other far-right groups protested outside drag shows in the state.

The Tennessee bills are part of a broader anti-trans push by Republicans in conservative states who argue they are protecting children.

Coscia has a seven-year-old daughter going to a Nashville-area school and said he was never worried about doctors or drag queens harming children. But he does live in fear of school shootings, which have become commonplace in the US, where guns are easily obtained.

Last year, the Supreme Court declared for the first time that the US Constitution protects an individual’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defence.

Even as a gun owner himself, he wants lawmakers to make it harder to get hold of guns and to ban the kind of semi-automatic rifle used in many school shootings, including Monday’s at the Covenant School.

The vast majority of mass shootings in the US are committed by non-trans men, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a non-profit group advocating for stricter gun regulation.

Grayson Collins, a trans man raising a three-year-old daughter with his wife in a Nashville suburb, said the gender identity of a mass shooter was irrelevant.

“It’s evil,” he said. “I could care less who they are or what they are. You still took someone’s life and that’s horrible.”

Reuters

Nashville shooting timeline: How the Tennessee massacre unfolded

Saturday 1 April 2023 07:07 , Graeme Massie

Here’s a timely recap, should you need it.

America suffered its latest outbreak of deadly gun violence on Monday morning when a shooter broke into The Covenant School in the Green Hills suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, and shot dead six people, including three children aged nine.

Police arrived quickly at the scene and shot dead the suspect, later named as Audrey Hale, 28, a former student at the private Christian elementary school.

The three child victims were identified as students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

Head teacher Katherine Koonce, 60, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and custodian Mike Hill, both 61, were also killed.

Timeline of the Nashville school shooting

Parkland dad calls for national education strike after Nashville

Saturday 1 April 2023 08:32 , Graeme Massie

The father of a Parkland shooting victim who was violently arrested at US Capitol has called for a national education strike in response to the Nashville shooting.

Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son Joaquin was one of 17 people fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, has called for “extreme measures” to prevent further gun violence in the US.

“I want to go in a more challenging, disruptive direction. I think we have been very polite,” he told ABC News this week.

“My tolerance after losing my son has been handled in the best possible way, but this is like too much.

“I keep looking at this inaction from our representatives, and only action when someone like me – and there are thousands like me - decide to disrupt and to raise our voices over our loved ones, then they do something, then they arrest me, other than that they won’t do anything.

“So, we have to take extreme measures, for this. We are calling for a national education strike at all levels of education, and I hope that we can achieve these kind of movements out there sooner rather than later.”

Parkland dad calls for national education strike in response to Nashville shooting

In video: Chilling 911 call captures terrified caller inside Nashville school during shooting

Saturday 1 April 2023 11:04 , Graeme Massie

Chilling 911 call captures terrified caller inside Nashville school during shooting

Heroic headteacher ended Zoom call and ran towards shooter during Nashville school massacre

Saturday 1 April 2023 12:02 , Graeme Massie

Heroic headteacher Katherine Koonce ran towards the shooter during the Nashville school massacre before the killer “assassinated” her in a hallway, it has been revealed.

Nashville City councilman Russ Pulley told Fox News that Koonce, 60, was on a Zoom call when she learned that there was an active shooting situation inside The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

Hero headteacher ran towards shooter during Nashville school massacre

‘How many children have to die like those in Nashville before the US changes its gun laws?'

Saturday 1 April 2023 13:02 , Graeme Massie

For Indy Voices, here’s Victoria Richards with a timely reminder of just how obscene it is that mass shootings like Monday’s horrific events in Nashville have been allowed to become commonplace.

Opinion: How many children have to die before the US changes its gun laws?