Nashville police have identified the six victims of the Covenant School shooting, which included the headmistress of the private Christian academy, a custodian, and the pastor’s young daughter.
The three slain students were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all of whom were nine years old.
The church confirmed to CBS News that Little Hallie was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant.
The three faculty members killed were Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both 61, and school head Katherine Koonce, 60.
The three slain students were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all of whom were nine years old.
The church confirmed to CBS News that Little Hallie was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant.
According to the school’s website, the community is in mourning over the tragedy that befell the small private school, which teaches students in pre-K through 6th grade and has approximately 200 students enrolled.
Koonce, a more than 23-year educator, became headmistress of the school in 2016. Peak was a substitute teacher, while Hill was a custodian.
The curriculum focuses on biblical theology, with students taking bible classes alongside standard education courses, and the school motto is “Shepherding Hearts, Empowering Minds, Celebrating Childhood.”
At 10:13 a.m., police received a call about an active shooter at Covenant School, and officers rushed to the scene to clear the halls.
When officers arrived at the school, they heard gunshots on the second floor and rushed to a lobby-style area where they confronted the shooter.
Police said they found maps and a manifesto of Hale’s plans inside her family home, and that the attack was “targeted,” though officials are still trying to figure out why. Police have said that they are in contact with the suspects’ father and that video of the shooting will be released in the coming days.
