Motive for Covenant School shooting revealed in final investigative report
The report said Hale, who attended The Covenant School from Kindergarten to 4th grade (2001-2006), considered those the happiest years of her childhood and ‘felt safe and accepted’ there.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - In its final report on The Covenant School shooting, the Metro Nashville Police Department revealed Audrey Hale’s motive for carrying out the attack that killed six people, including three children.
On Wednesday, MNPD released its full investigative findings from The Covenant School Shooting on March 27, 2023. The 44-page report breaks down the attack in great detail.
Police said they determined Hale’s main motive was notoriety. In the report, homicide detectives reveal that Hale craved the notoriety of other school shooters.
MNPD’s report outlines three reasons behind Hale’s attack on The Covenant School:
- It provided infamy, given that it was a private, Christian school.
- The kids and teachers of the school wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.
- Hale had a connection to the school.
Previous Coverage:
WSMV4 Chief Investigator Jeremy Finley explains that Hale never remarked or wrote about being ostracized or bullied at the school.
In fact, the report said Hale, who attended The Covenant School from Kindergarten to 4th grade (2001-2006), considered those the happiest years of her childhood and ‘felt safe and accepted’ at The Covenant School.
Police said that investigators did not find any specific reasons why Hale chose her victims at the Covenant School other than that they were small children.
Police also detailed that Hale’s initial target was the Isaiah Creswell Middle School of the Arts. Hale said that was the first school where she felt ostracism, shame and disappointment. It was there that the report said she encountered a culture shock, “Most of her classmates at Creswell Middle were predominantly from minority groups and came from working class households. Hale remarked it wasn’t long before other students began to pick on her and even bully her, believing she was a rich white girl and worthy of derision.”
Hale initially planned the attack there for April 13, 2021, to coincide with the Columbine shooting date. However, Hale ultimately decided she wouldn’t be able to control the narrative of the attack and chose The Covenant School instead.
On Sep. 14, 2021, Hale went to The Covenant School and was able to get a faculty-guided tour four days later. Hale photographed and videotaped locations in the school.
According to the report, Hale identified other potential targets for an attack, including Harpeth Hall Academy, Harding Academy, Nashville School of the Arts and Hillsboro High School.
MNPD also reported that Hale had no manifesto. Instead, the shooter had 16 notebooks, in which Hale detailed her isolation and loneliness. Police said anger was ever present in Hale’s life.
Hale also wrote that none of the writings were to be taken literally, including homicidal fantasies. During the time Hale prepared for the attack, she became obsessed with other school shooters. In the summer of 2018, Hale’s therapist noticed anger issues and Hale underwent a psychological assessment.
That assessment determined that depression and anxiety were Hale’s largest aggravating factors. Police said Hale bought a copy of the Columbine diaries and her mother found and took those to the therapist.
As for some of Hale’s weapons, they were purchased using federal student grant money. When Hale’s therapist and family discovered she had a rifle and was having fantasies of killing her father, they convinced Hale to turn them over for her parents to lock up.
However, that didn’t stop Hale from purchasing more guns.
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