Nashville School Shooter Audrey Hale killed six people, which included three children of age nine, at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, this past Monday morning. Information is being discovered and disclosed by the hour about Hale’s background, his transitioning transgender sexual identify, the methodical surveillance of the school, the study of vulnerable entry points into the school and her decision not to attack another venue because the other venue had greater security.
Now, as reported, information has become available disclosing that Hale “was under a doctor’s care for an emotional disorder at the time of the killings.” The background information “that Audrey Hale had been seeing a doctor for an emotional disorder before murdering three children and three adults this week” was reported by RadarOnline.com. As stated in the post, the nature of the “emotional disorder” is, as yet, “undisclosed.”
In a stunning revelation, “According to Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake, Hale had regularly been under the care of a doctor to treat the illness in the weeks leading up to Monday’s shooting.” The article elaborates: “Even more shocking was the revelation that Hale had been secretly collecting weapons before opening fire at the private Christian academy.”
Hale’s parents made exculpatory claims. As reported, “Although Hale’s parents admitted they were aware the 28-year-old had bought and sold at least one weapon in recent weeks, they did not know she had collected additional firearms.”
Chief Drake provided additional background regarding the parents’ alleged knowledge or lack of knowledge. “The parents felt [Hale] should not own weapons,” Chief Drake said in a statement on Tuesday while citing the now-deceased shooter’s emotional disorder. “They were under the impression that when [Hale] sold the one weapon that [Hale] did not own anymore.” Chief Drake added: “As it turned out, [Hale] had been hiding several weapons within the house.”
The msn.com article provided the names of the six people killed: three 9-year-old students and substitute teacher, Cynthia Peak, the school principal, Katherine Koonce, and a school custodian, Mike Hill.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper told CNN. “This was very planned and numerous sites were investigated (by Hale).” Cooper added: “They found a lot of documents. There was a lot of ammunition. There were (3) guns.” Hale had “left behind a manifesto in the car” as well as “drawn out” maps of the school detailing “how this was all going to take place.”
The treatment Hale was receiving may offer vital information regarding, among other concepts, whether the killings could have been prevented by taking reasonable precautions based on what Hale’s doctor or doctors and or parents knew while and after Hale was acquiring firearms.
For example, Question 21 (e) of the federal Firearms Transaction Form ask: “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?’ If Hale’s condition involved such substances and or addiction, Hale would not have been allowed to legally purchase or acquire firearms from a licensed federal firearms dealer, such as any gun shop. Interesting consequences might develop, one speculates, if Hale’s parents and or doctor or doctors knew or should have known that Hale would violate federal firearms law by acquiring firearms.
