A high school friend of the Nashville school killer was shocked to learn the open-minded girl she was tracking with was behind the massacre that killed six people on a Christian campus.
The friend, who asked not to be identified, described Audrey Hale, 28, to as “cute and funny” hours after the suspect opened fire on Covenant School on Monday, killing three nine-year-olds and three staff members.
Cops said Hale was transgender, although they gave no further details and referred to her as a woman. Hale was born a female, but a LinkedIn profile believed to be hers uses he/him pronouns, suggesting that Hale lived as a male.
The friend recalled her faint memories with Hale at the Nashville School of the Arts from around 2011 to 2014.
“What she did was unforgivable but when I knew her she was a sweet and fun girl,” the friend told . “When she turned out to be trans (female to male), no one was surprised.
“She really didn’t fit the school archer archetype. I don’t know what would have happened to turn her into this person we see on the news. Everyone in my senior year loses it on Facebook. Really no one would have seen this coming.’
Audrey Hale receives a certificate from Nossi College of Art in Nashville
Audrey Hale on her LinkedIn profile picture: Hale describes herself as an illustrator and graphic designer
The friend referred to Hale as “she” because she knew the suspect as a woman before the 28-year-old made the switch after graduation.
“We went to the Nashville School of the Arts in high school, where we had several transgender students and others who were part of the LGBTQ community,” the friend said. “We were both in visual arts classes together and she was very involved in school and had several boyfriends.”
Besides participating in the same clubs, the friend also knew Hale as a team player.
“We also ran together on the course [Martin Luther King Jr. School] (a sister magnet school) and she was a great part of the team,” the friend said.
The friend added: “I would never defend someone who would hurt a child. But really, it’s still very hard to believe that she did. I sure thought it was a mistake at first. The whole situation is so surreal.
“She really had a good circle of friends and she did a lot of projects and school activities. Not at all what you would expect from someone in a headline like this.”
received messages from the Nashville School of Arts’ alumni page, which found several of Hale’s former classmates disbelieving.
“This is crazy y’all,” one person wrote. “I’m sure we could all say that the Audrey we knew from high school was so different from this morning.
“It’s hard to believe we even knew Audrey, you know? I know this comes as a shock to the NSA family. My heart breaks for these sweet families who lost loved ones this morning.
Another alumni added: “JESUS!!”
All six victims were identified on Monday. They were nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, along with three staff members Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both 61, and principal Dr. Katherine Koonce, 60.
Hallie Scruggs is seen with her father, Chad Scruggs, the pastor of the school’s affiliated Presbyterian Church
Substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, aka Cindy Broyles Peak, is shown with her daughter Ellie. Peak was one of six people shot dead at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023
Katherine Koonce, headmistress (left), and Mike Hill, a janitor (right), were among those shot by Audrey Hale
Hale walked into the Covenant School at around 10:13 a.m., opened fire and was killed by police less than 15 minutes later.
Aside from the three students, all nine years old, who were pronounced dead, Hale also killed substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, principal Katherine Koonce, 60, and janitor Mike Hill, 61.
The suspect drove to school in a Honda Fit, which was spotted early Monday at the Covenant Church/school campus. Nashville police said it helped identify her.
“MNPD investigators searched it and found additional material written by Hale,” police said.
It’s unclear what Hale’s motive was, but police believe she attended school at some point. She had detailed, drawn maps of the school and, according to police, had been monitoring it.
Police said Hale left a manifesto that they believe will give them motive for the massacre, which will be the 129th in the United States in 2023.
“We have a manifesto, we have some writing that we’re going through that relates to that day,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. “We drew a map of how it should all play out. There is a theory at the moment that we may publish later, but it is unconfirmed. We will publish this as soon as possible.’
Audrey Hale’s Honda Fit, which she parked on the Covenant School campus before opening fire at the school
As officers responded to the Covenant campus, Hale fired from a second-story window at oncoming police vehicles
A police car that Audrey Hale shot from a second-story window after she blew herself up into Nashville’s Covenant School on Monday
Shards of glass can be seen in a second floor window where Audrey Hale shot an approaching police car in front of the Covenant School
A child cries on the bus leaving Covenant School after a mass shooting at the school in Nashville, Tennessee, the United States, March 27, 2023
Children from Covenant School hold hands as they are taken to a reunion site at Woodmont Baptist Church Monday March 27, 2023 following a shooting at their school
Drake said Hale mentioned a different location in her manifesto, but decided there were too many safeguards to launch an attack.
According to the boss, Hale and no criminal record and said he has no history of mental illness, although investigators are still looking into this.
The small school is run by a church and does not employ a school resource officer.
Hale styled herself as an illustrator and drew under the name Aiden. She received training in digital art and design from Nossi College of Art in Nashville.
Her work included renderings of Sponge Bob Squarepants, a tribute to Keith Haring, and a drawing of Jack Nicholson in the film The Shining with his infamous quote, “Here’s Johnny!”.
Photos of Audrey, who received an award at Nossi in spring 2017, have since surfaced.
Audrey – who drew under the masculine name Aiden – was an illustrator and graphic designer
Hale styled herself as an illustrator and drew under the name Aiden. Pictured: Two of Hale’s artworks