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Nashville school shooting: Body camera video shows police confront, kill active shooter

Body camera video shows Nashville officers confronting the shooter at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023. (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville police released body camera video Tuesday showing the moments officers confronted an active shooter at The Covenant School. The shooter killed six people before being taken down by officers.

The video, which is graphic, shows officers arrive on scene and speak to a staff member outside before rushing into the building. The school was on lockdown and alarms can be heard blaring as the team of officers makes their way toward the shooter on the second floor.


As they approach the shooter’s location, officers can be seen firing shots. Two officers of the five-member team fatally shot the suspect, the department said. Those officers have been identified as Rex Englebert, a four-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year department veteran.

Footage from both their body cameras was made available.

Warning: The body camera video is graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.

The shooter has been identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale.

According to police, the three students killed were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. Three staff members killed have also been identified: Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

The shooting began at 10:13 a.m. as Hale entered the school by shooting through a side door, police said. Surveillance video shows Hale breaking into the building, then going from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots.

Police reported that two officers entered the building, ran toward the sound of gunfire, met Hale on the second floor of the school, and fatally shot the suspect.

By 10:27 a.m., police said Hale was deceased.

One officer’s hand was injured by broken glass, police spokesperson Don Aaron said, but there were no other officer injuries.

Hale was reportedly armed with two assault-style rifles and one handgun. Police said investigators have also identified Hale’s address and searched Hale’s home, where they found detailed maps of the school and a “manifesto.”

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, ATF Nashville, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all responded to the scene and are assisting in the investigation.