A conservative commentator has released writings that the shooter allegedly wrote
Earlier this year in March, three children and three members of staff were killed after a former student opened fire at a school in the US city of Nashville. The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old Nashville resident and a former student of the same school, who identified as transgender.
Now, 8 months after the tragic incident, a conservative commentator has released writings that the shooter allegedly wrote. According to The New York Post, radio host Steven Crowder leaked pictures of the manifesto on X, which reveal both the shooter’s hatred toward white people and the planning of the crime.
Some of the chilling messages read, ”kill all you little crackers”, ”I hope I have a high death count,” and “I’m ready…I hope my victims aren’t, and ”Ready to die.”
”I’m a little nervous but excited too. Been excited for the past two weeks,” one page dated the day of the shooting reads. ”Can’t believe I’m doing this but I’m ready … I hope my victims aren’t.”
Another page included Hale’s hour-by-hour ”schedule” for the massacre, including ”get dressed”, ”eat breakfast”, ”prepare for attack” and ”time 2 die”. Another, dated February 3, 2023, spoke of targeting children “with their white privileges.”
Authorities have not disclosed any of the shooter’s journals or writings that were collected after the March 27 shooting. According to court filings, the shooter left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note, and a memoir.
A Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson told Newsweek the police are unable to confirm that Hale wrote the manifesto but said they are looking into the matter. An FBI spokesperson told Newsweek, “As this matter is being addressed by the courts, the FBI will not be commenting on the reported documents.”
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) November 6, 2023
Officials and some of the victims’ relatives have urged authorities to block the release of the written materials, arguing that it would deepen the trauma of those impacted.
In a statement release, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said, ”I have directed Wally Dietz, Metro’s Law Director, to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released. That investigation may involve local, state, and federal authorities. I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and well-being of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving. This incident naturally invokes additional emotional trauma.”
Meanwhile, Fox 17 Nashville reported that it has confirmed ”through a source” that the writings are authentic.
Notably, Hale entered the Covenant School with at least two assault rifles and a handgun, and fired multiple shots while advancing through the building, before being shot down by the police. Hale had no previous criminal records before opening fire inside the Covenant School. According to reports, Hale graduated from Nossi College of Art with a degree in illustration and graphic design in 2022.
School shootings are alarmingly common in the United States, where the proliferation of firearms has soared in recent years.