Nashville school shooting – live: Evelyn Dieckhaus called ‘shining light’ as first funeral takes place
Shooter Audrey Hale’s manifesto is still to be released by Nashville police
The funeral of Evelyn Dieckhaus, one of three nine-year-old children killed at the Covenant School shooting, took place on Friday afternoon in Nashville.
Evelyn was remembered as a “shining light” in the funeral, which was closed to the media, at the Woodmont Christian Church in the Green Hills neighbourhood of the city.
Before the service, the church’s senior minister, the Rev Clay Stauffer, described the youngster as “radiant.”
Evelyn was killed while leading her classmates to safety in response to a fire alarm seemingly tripped by the attacker, her family believes.
Services for substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and Hallie Scruggs, nine, will be held on Saturday. Nine-year-old William Kinney's funeral will take place on Sunday, while services for Mike Hill, 61, the school’s custodian, will be held on Tuesday and the funeral for head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, will take place on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police have released the chilling 911 calls they received from inside the Covenant School as the shooter – since identified by law enforcement as Audrey Hale, 28, a former student of the private Christian elementary school – broke into the building and opened fire.
A manifesto written by the suspect is soon expected to released by officers investigating the deadly attack.
Biden acknowledges demand for new gun laws be says he ‘can’t do anything except plead with Congress’
With Republicans controlling the House of Representatives in the wake of last November’s midterms, achieving any meaningful change to firearms regulations is a dimmer prospect than ever right now, hence the president’s dismayed tone.
Right-wing bgun industry apologists are already striving to characterise Audrey Hale’s actions as a mental health matter unrelated to the ready availability of military-grade weapons.
Biden says ‘Congress has to act’ on stronger gun laws
‘We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville'
The right is the radicalised threat to public safety, not the LGBTQ community – I have the receipts to prove it, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan for Indy Voices.
We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices
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Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police
Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.
According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.
Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police
Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.
According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.
More than $470,000 raised for those impacted by shooting
The Care for Covenant Fund has raised $474,254 as of Thursday morning, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee told The Tennessean.
The money will be “directed to The Covenant School to support the healing of those affected by this tragedy,” the foundation’s website states.
Comfort dogs help at Covenant School memorial site and nearby schools
The golden retrievers were brought to Nashville by Lutheran Church Charities.
“LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs brought a presence of peace and comfort to those who were paying their respects at the memorial site,” the group said on Facebook.
GoFundMe for Mike Hill passes $550,000
Hill was shot dead by Audrey Hale at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser had collected $552, 955 after starting with a target of $25,000.
“Mike was the beloved father of eight children. More notably, he was “Big Mike” to his students, who will surely feel his loss in the years to come. Per his family, he took great pleasure and found tremendous joy in his job and through those students. Funeral arrangements are being made over the next day or so, and will be shared only with the blessing of Mike’s family,” the GoFundMe reads.
Nashville school shooter previously posted online about death of partner, says teacher
Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher.
Art college instructor Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a Facebook post from the shooter “openly grieving” the individual.
Speaking to The New York Times, Ms Colomy said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.
“She had been openly grieving about that on social media, and during the grieving is when she announced that she wanted to be addressed as a male,” the teacher said.
