According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, three children and three adults were killed after being shot by an armed former student at Covenant School located at 33 Burton Hills Drive on Monday, March 27th.
The children were identified as 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The adults were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
The shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, was killed by police. The shooting has garnered local and national attention, with many sharing their thoughts via social media.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn said that she was “heartbroken,” to hear about the shooting. “My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist.Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.”
Sen. Bill Hagerty released the following statement on his Twitter account: “Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School. I’m grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions. I am monitoring the situation closely, and my office is in contact with local officials & available to anyone needing assistance.”
While some shared that their thoughts were with those affected, many demanded change and to open a conversation around current gun control laws.
Sen. Raumesh Akbari(D-Memphis,) explained that Tennessee currently has pending legislation to include “18+ and long guns,” to its open carry law. She explained that “people over politics shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
“When is enough going to be enough to empower my colleagues to have some sort of capacity for courage to do the right thing,” said Akbari. “If you actually want to make an impact to stop gun violence, a tweet is not going to cut it. A statement is not going to cut it. You’re actually going to have to have the courage to act, and do the right thing.”
“Today in Nashville, the lives of three children and three adults were taken in another mass shooting at a school,” said Tennessee House Majority Leader, Karen Camper. “ This cannot continue to be normal in our country. I will continue to work as the Democratic Leader to find REAL solutions to this very REAL problem of guns being used to harm our children. Governor Lee, we must make change now.”
Memphis Congressman Steven Cohen (TN-09) called the incident “horrifying,” and said that this was a reminder to “keep guns from the wrong hands. … Whatever the senseless motive for this killing, Tennessee must find a way to strengthen its comparatively weak gun laws in an effort to save innocent lives.”
NAACP Memphis branch president Van Turner also called on the Tennessee General Assembly to strengthen gun control laws “In light of the recent tragedy at the Covenant School in Nashville, we again call on the Tennessee General Assembly to pass sensible gun legislation and for the Governor to enact an immediate moratorium on current legislation which continues to harm our communities.”
