The tragic incident left three nine-year-old children and three adults dead at the private Christian elementary school. Covenant School was apparently targeted in part for its lack of armed personnel guarding the campus, according to law enforcement.
Police say Hale was armed with three weapons when she entered by shooting through a side door. The attack covered about 14 minutes, as the shooter entered the building at 10:13 a.m. and was shot dead by officers at 10:27 a.m., according to police spokesperson Don Aaron.
The Monday attack marked the deadliest on a school in almost a year.
Police said Hale fired several shots on the first and second floors of the building. When a five-person team heard the shots, two went to the second floor of Covenant School and fatally shot the suspect.
According to Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake, authorities afterwards found “maps drawn of the school in detail, surveillance, entry points.” He added that investigators also uncovered “some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this day, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”
Police described what they found as a “manifesto.”
The apparently meticulously planned attack may have unfolded at another location if it were not for that second potential target’s security preparations.
Drake explained that the suspect may have given up on that plan after carrying out a “threat assessment” and discovering it had “too much security.” The police chief did not reveal the second target, only that it was also in Nashville.
It is common for violent criminals who carefully plan targeted attacks to scout the area and note possible resistance points. In the wake of the 2012 Aurora movie theater attack, gun scholar John Lott penned an essay in which he observed that the shooting suspect chose a Cinemark theater.
This location was the only one near his home where concealed carry permit holders were prohibited from being armed in the theater.
According to Lott, most movie theaters allow permit-holding moviegoers to concealed carry while in attendance. The Cinemark location, which was not the closest to the shooter’s apartment, was the only one with a sign posted at the entrance warning concealed carry permit holders not to bring their firearms into the facility.
As he wrote, “Out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie that night, it was the only one where guns were banned. In Colorado, individuals with permits can carry concealed handguns in most malls, stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. But private businesses can determine whether permit holders can carry guns on their private property.”
And now there is evidence that Monday’s school shooter in Nashville chose her target because of the absence of armed security. It is almost certain there were other reasons involved in choosing the location of the attack, but according to police, she was deterred from another site due to their protective measures.
This vicious and heartbreaking assault on an elementary school sickens the hearts of all decent people. The survivors face enormous challenges dealing with this trauma, and much needs to be done for their sakes going forward.
But there is also a lesson to be learned from this unthinkable tragedy. Violent criminals choose their victims for several reasons, but consistently they go after those least able to defend themselves.
This is a main reason why the cowardly and vicious attacks happen periodically at schools, which undoubtedly are perceived as “soft targets.” It is extremely important that all schools, public and private, review security measures in place and strongly consider adding armed resource officers if they are not already there.
