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All six victims who died in the Nashville school shooting on Monday (27 March) have been named.
A shooter, who has since been shot and killed by police, walked into a private Christian elementary school with two assault-style weapons and a handgun and took six lives.
The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all nine years old, and Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
The Covenant School's website lists Ms Koonce as the head of the school. Her LinkedIn profile says she has led the Presbyterian school - which opened in 2001 - since July 2016. Ms Peak was a substitute teacher and Mr Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.
The killer has been identified as Audrey Hale, 28, and Nashville police are now investigating what drove them to attack The Covenant School.
Nashville police chief John Drake said on Tuesday that the killer ‘conducted surveillance’ at the school as part of an elaborate plan for the attack, which is the latest in a series of mass shootings in the US.
“We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident,” he told reporters.
“We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”
Drake said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe the killer had 'some resentment for having to go to that school'.
At a late afternoon press conference yesterday, the police chief said Hale was transgender.
However, after the news conference, police spokesperson Don Aaron declined to elaborate on how Hale currently identified.
Authorities said Hale was armed with two ‘assault-style’ weapons as well as a handgun.
It is believed at least two of them were obtained legally in the Nashville area.
Police said a search of Hale’s home turned up a sawn-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other unspecified evidence.
Founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, The Covenant School is located in the affluent Green Hills neighbourhood just south of central Nashville. It has about 200 students from pre-school through sixth grade, and employs roughly 50 staff members.
“Our community is heartbroken,” a statement from the school said. “We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church.
"We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.”
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Camden Hall / Alamy Stock Photo
Gregory Robinson