Six people – including three children – are dead after a white female gunman opened fire at a Nashville private school.
The incident happened at Covenant School, an elementary school on the outskirts of town.
Police say the gunman – whose name has not yet been released – killed three children and three adults before he was shot dead by police. Her identity has not yet been confirmed, but police said she initially assumed she was a teenager.
It’s unclear what her motive was, but police believe she attended school at some point.
They later confirmed that she was a 28-year-old local. The small school is run by a church and does not employ a school resource officer.
A terrified child presses his hand against the glass of a school bus window after being evacuated from Covenant School
Children hold hands as they exit Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a gunman opened fire, killing three children and three staff members
Terrified children peek out the windows of their school bus as they wait for a ride away from school after the shooting
Children at Covenant School ran past an ambulance on Monday after a gunman opened fire, killing three staff and three students before they were shot dead by police
A father carries his son out of Nashville’s Covenant School after a gunman killed three students and two staff before he was shot dead
Just before 10:13 a.m., the woman entered the school through a side door and opened fire on the second floor.
How she gained access to the building is unclear. According to the police, all the doors were locked.
The police arrived at the scene and heard the shots from the 2nd floor. She was shot dead at 10:27 a.m. She was armed with two assault rifles and a pistol.
Parents were told to pick up their children from a nearby church, but no further information was given.
“I know this is probably the worst day of everyone’s life.
“I can’t tell you how personable we are,” a subway cop was heard telling the parents as they waited for news at a nearby church.
Neighbors at the school watched as parents rushed to the scene of the crime to find their children.
“Everyone as a parent is afraid.
A family prays together after being reunited outside Covenant School in Nashville
A man walks with children at a Woodmont Baptist Church reunion center after a shooting at Covenant School
Adults walk with a child at a reunion center at Woodmont Baptist Church
Adults walk with a child at a reunion center at Woodmont Baptist Church after the shooting
A man takes home two children from Covenant School after Monday’s shooting
Two adults escort terrified children away from Covenant School Monday after a school shooting
Children and adults wait outside the Covenant School in Nashville after the shooting
Parents gathered at the sanctuary and awaited news as to whether or not their children were among the injured
A police officer walks past the entrance of Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville
Terrified children hold hands as they exit Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday after a gunman opened fire, killing three children before he was shot dead by police
A woman holds her young child after a shooting at Covenant School in Nashville on Monday. Three children were killed by the woman
Frightened parents wait for their children at Covenant School in Nashville. The woman was killed by the police
Parents rushed to the scene to pick up their children after the incident on Monday morning
Children pour out of Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday
Metro Nashville police officers gather following a fatal shooting Monday, March 27, 2023 near Covenant School, a Christian private school in Nashville, Tennessee
“You don’t send your child to school because you think there is active shooting in this area.
“Just hearing it as a parent is really overwhelming. To see all the parents running up the hill to see if their kids are okay,” Lisa Debusk told .
Susan Perkins, 68, told that her daughter and step-son were at school at the time of the shooting and were unharmed. Her daughter is a communications director and her step-grandson is a sixth grade student.
“I spoke to my daughter and she was so busy she just couldn’t speak, just enough to say she’s fine,” said the mom, who lives in Knoxville, TN.
“I’m just shaking with fear and I’m so sorry that happened,” she said. “I can’t believe three kids got killed.”
She described Covenant School as a small, close-knit Christian school where everyone knows and supports everyone.
“I didn’t think it would ever happen to my school, and I’d love to see the guns off the street,” Perkins said.
Alison Grippo, 40, told she has three children at Covenant School who survived.
As news of the mass shooting spread, she, like other parents, was directed to nearby Woodmont Baptist Church, which was set up as a meeting place while they anxiously awaited their children.
“She said her own children, like many others, were still speaking to investigators.
“We are waiting to be reunited with our children,” Grippo told . “It’s just hard to understand or put into words. We praise God in all situations, good and bad.’
There are around 33 staff at the school and around 210 students.
Many of these students were seen running out of the building in their school uniforms today after the shooting started.
Other schools in the area have been placed under lockdown as a precaution but are not believed to be an additional threat.
The parents are now gathering in a church next to the school. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn was among the first to offer her condolences.
“Chuck and I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville.
“My office is in contact with federal, state and local officials and we stand ready to help.
Parents gather Monday at the shrine of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville after a gunman opened fire, killing three students
At Monday’s National League of Cities conference, First Lady Jill Biden said, “I’m really at a loss for words. Our children deserve better. We stand with Nashville in prayer’
“Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please pray with us for those affected.”
Senator Bill Haggerty tweeted, “Devastated and heartbroken by the tragic news at Covenant School.
“I am grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted, “I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant…as we continue to respond, please pray with us for the school, community and community in Nashville.”
Speaking at a news conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the shooting was evidence of the continuing need for stricter gun reform.
First Lady Jill Biden, speaking at the National League of Cities conference Monday, told the crowd: “We just got word of another shooting in Tennessee — a school shooting.
“I’m really speechless. Our children deserve better. We stand with Nashville in prayer.”
Monday’s shooting is the 129th shooting this year.