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Monday’s deadly school shooting set in motion a familiar cycle of condolences, calls to action and open-ended questions.
Police have identified Audrey Hale as the shooter who opened fire at a Nashville Presbyterian school, killing three 9-year-olds and three adults. But the investigation into why and how the violence unfolded is only just beginning.
Here’s a look at some of the knowable queries, and where they stand.What was the shooter’s motive?
Hale, a 28-year-old who used he/him pronouns, was a former student of the school, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at a news conference Tuesday.
The shooter had left behind „a manifesto,“ Drake said, which included a map of the school, with details about how he would enter and carry out an attack.
But police stressed there was „no evidence“ that specific victims, such as the head of the school, had been targeted.
„This school — this church building — was a target of the shooter,“ said Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron. „But we have no information at present to indicate that the shooter was targeting any one of the six individuals who were murdered.“
When asked specifically whether Hale had targeted the school for religious reasons, Drake said he couldn’t confirm. He added that police are working with the FBI to fully examine Hale’s writings. Could police have confiscated the suspect’s guns?
The shooter’s parents believed their child had sold Hale’s only gun and didn’t have any firearms at home, Drake said.
In actuality, Hale had legally purchased seven firearms from five local gun stores. Three of those weapons — including two assault-style firearms — were used in the shooting.
Hale was under „a doctor’s care for an emotional disorder,“ Drake said, but „law enforcement knew nothing about the treatment.“
In some states, so-called „red flag“ laws empower law enforcement to confiscate weapons due to mental illness or concerns from relatives.
