On Monday, tragedy struck the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee when Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old transgender woman, stormed the premises armed with two assault rifles and a handgun armed. In a senseless act of violence, Hale killed three schoolchildren, three staff and was then fatally shot by police. Audrey's parents Norma and Ronald Hale, have remained out of the public eye as they grapple with the devastating loss of their daughter.
Audrey's aunt, Lorinda Hale, revealed that the family is “not well” and that their pastor, Jim Thomas, revealed that they are being “well cared for” as they grieve. The FBI is currently reviewing Audrey's manifesto, which she left behind. ,
Among the three schoolchildren killed was nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, described by her aunt Kelly Dorrance as a “class leader”, who may have been leading her classmates to safety in what she may have believed was a fire drill. Dorrance stated that the family is “devastated” and “heartbroken” and is committed to making sure Evelyn's memory will live on and save the lives of other children.
Audrey's former Middle School Basketball teammates recalled her as a shy eighth-grader and bench warmer who was “obsessive” and “stalkerish”. Sydney Sims, one of her former teammates, died in the last eight months and Audrey was said to be “infatuated” with her. Minutes before the rampage, Patton received chilling messages from Hale saying she was planning to die on that day. ,
The tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville is a reminder of the devastating consequences of gun violence and the lasting impact it can have on the affected families and communities.