Nashville police released their final report on the horrific school shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School in 2023, expanding on the trans-identifying individual’s planning, motives, and considerations for the eventual attack. The shooter, killed by police after they swarmed the Christian elementary school, had previously attended Covenant as a student.
Not surprisingly, the tragic details that emerged suggested that the shooter chose the site for its historical connection, the reality that small kids couldn’t put up as much of a fight, and because episodes like these usually garner myriad headlines. Indeed, the attacker sought eternal notoriety for their vile efforts. For that reason, The Christian Tribune won’t be reporting on the trans-identifying individual’s name.
Since the attacked unfolded, calls for a release of the shooter’s manifesto appeared to fall into a void. In truth, the final report released by Nashville PD suggested there wasn’t a single manifesto, per se, but rather a litany of writings, notebooks, computer files, and other materials that, when combined, would lead to the best understanding of the mindset of the deranged killer. Many have suggested it wouldn’t have taken two years for this information if the killer had different characteristics.
Perhaps some of the more sensational information released in the report was that the school shooter had been “fantasizing” about such an attack for several years. Fox News wrote in its breaking story that “the 28-year-old attacker and biological female, began “fantasizing” about and researching mass shootings as far back as 2017, according to investigators. A year later, she wrote “detailed fantasies” about shooting up the Isaac T. Creswell Middle Magnet School for the Arts, killing her father and killing her psychiatrist.”
In other words, at least five years separated the shooter’s involvement with a psychiatrist and the eventual violence that tragically unfolded in the private Christian school. One wonders what occurs in these couch sessions. As a reminder, six people were killed on the March 27th attack – three none-year-old students, Head of School Katherine Koonce, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, and custodian Mike Hill.
And disgustingly, the report would conclude that Covenant was chosen as the ultimate site not only because of previous attendance and even the likelihood of evading being overpowered by stronger students, but precisely as a result of identifying the school as a place with the “happiest” childhood memories.
Elaborating on the various sources from which Nashville police compiled in preparation for the final report, Fox News reiterated that the aggressor left behind countless documents. Fox added that “her motivations were scattered across those many notebooks and other writings…They included an image showing more than two-dozen notebooks seized from [the shooter’s] car and bedroom. They also said she left a suicide note addressed to her parents.
Rather than a highly anticipated manifesto, the report found that [the] killer left behind numerous notebooks, art books and computer documents about her plans to commit the attack and gain notoriety, partly inspired by the Columbine school shooting in 1999.”
Fox continued: “[The shooter] wanted people to remember her after her death, according to the document, and was partly inspired by books and documentaries on the Columbine killers. She wanted similar records of her own life and expected her guns, artwork and journals to be preserved in museums around the world.”
Featured image: Metro Nashville Police