28 March 2023 , 18:48
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The mum of evil Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale told reporters "I think I lost my daughter today" as news of the horror shooting spread.
Hale shot their way into a school in Nashville, Tennessee, US, before killing six including three nine-year-old children.
Hale, who had been armed with two assault rifles and a pistol, was eventually gunned down by police on the second floor of The Covenant School.
The shooter's mum, Norma Hale, told a reporter from ABC News: "It is very, very difficult right now" for the family and asked for privacy.
She continued: "I think I lost my daughter today."
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Norma Hale spoke to ABC News shortly after her daughter Audrey Hale, 28, was named as the shooter (Facebook)Christian mum Norma Hale previously shared a number of anti-gun posts on social media in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.
She shared the petition to “Keep Guns Out of School” in March 2018, writing: “So important!”
In another post she shared a petition from Sandy Hook Promise urging lawmakers to “Make Large-Capacity Gun Magazines Illegal.”
A neighbour of the Hales, where 28-year-old Audrey lived, told the outlet the parents were "very nice" and "very religious."
Audrey Hale in her LinkedIn profile picture (LinkedIn)Police have described Hale as transgender. They are believed to be a former student at the school where they gunned down six.
Authorities also described Hale as a "lone zealot", who had written a manifesto ahead of the attack.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said: “We have a manifesto, we have some writings 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.
A still from CCTV footage of Hale hunting through the halls (Metropolitan Nashville Police De)“There’s right now a theory that we may be able to talk about later but it’s not confirmed, and so we’ll put that out as soon as we can.”
The three children killed were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old.
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The adults killed were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, Mike Hill, 61, a janitor, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school.
Hale fired at police as they approached the school (METRO NASHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Drake said: “I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building."
Children were led away from the scene to be later reunited with their parents.
Joe Biden called the shooting "heartbreaking, a family's worst nightmare."
The president, who was speaking at an unrelated event as news of the shooting broke said more needs to be done to stop gun violence.
A grieving woman prays at a makeshift memorial for victims outside the Covenant School (AFP via Getty Images)“It's about time we began to make some more progress," he said.
Immediately following the shootings, hundreds took to social media to criticise Tennessee’s Governor, Bill Lee.
Two years ago, the Republican refused to tighten state firearm laws going on to sign a bill allowing permitless gun carry despite opposition from police.
Police outside the scene (HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Despite earlier describing Hale earlier as a transgender woman, a police spokesperson later told the Washington Post that Hale "is a biological woman who, on a social media profile, used male pronouns".
At times Hale used the name Aiden.