NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered flags on all public buildings throughout Ohio to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the deadly shooting at a small private, Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
The flags will be lowered until March 31, according to DeWine’s office.
Six people, including three students, were killed at The Covenant School on Monday after a shooter opened fire inside the 200-student school.
The victims were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; Mike Hill, 61; and Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all age 9. Police officers also killed the shooter after a confrontation.
The website of The Covenant School, founded in 2001, lists a Katherine Koonce as the head of the school. Her LinkedIn profile says she has led the school since July 2016. Peak was a substitute teacher, and Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.
The shooter was identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who police said was a former student of the school. It was unclear if Hale had any current affiliation with the school or was related to anyone in the school at the time of the shooting.
Police say Hale had two “assault-style” weapons and a pistol when Hale shot through the front door to enter the building. At least two of them were believed to have been obtained legally in the Nashville area, police said.
Five Nashville police officers entered the school after the initial call, the police spokesperson said. While clearing the first floor of students and staff, they heard shots being fired on the second floor.
Two of the officers opened fire in response and fatally struck Hale at about 10:27 a.m., police said.
During a search at Hale’s home, police said the shooter had made a detailed map of the school and conducted surveillance of the building before carrying out the massacre.
Investigators also found a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other unspecified evidence during the search.
No motive has been confirmed by police, and it was also unclear if Hale was trying to target any specific person during the shooting.
Police Chief John Drake said officers found writings that detailed the plan to attack the school and potentially other locations. He said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe the shooter had “some resentment for having to go to that school.”
