Authorities have released new information in connection with last week’s mass shooting at a Tennessee Christian school.
The shooter, a biological female who identified as male, left writings in journals found in her car in the parking lot of The Covenant School where the attack, which left six people dead, took place.
Additional journals were discovered in the bedroom of her home, which document that she planned the mass murder over a period of months, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
The writings are being analyzed by the MNPD and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia, as authorities work to determine a clear motive for the shooting.
Police say the 28-year-old shooter considered the actions of other mass murderers as she weighed how to carry out the attack at Covenant. John Drake, MNPD Police Chief, also told reporters after the incident that she considered carrying out an attack on “another location that was mentioned, but because of threat assessment by the suspect, too much security,” she decided not to.
“The investigation shows that Hale fired a total of 152 rounds (126 5.56 rifle rounds and 26 nine millimeter rounds) from the time she shot her way into the school until she was killed by police,” MNPD said in the news release. “Two officers fired on Hale. Officer Rex Engelbert discharged a total of four 5.56 rounds from his rifle; Officer Michael Collazo discharged a total of four rounds from his department-issued nine millimeter pistol.”
Officials also say that the MNPD’s Professional Wellness Section is conducting debriefings, which include daily wellness checks, for personnel involved in the law enforcement response to the shooting.
The shooter had a total of seven firearms that were legally obtained and stashed throughout the home she shared with her parents. Her parents have stated they were aware that she had owned one firearm, but said they thought she sold it.
