Officer Rex Englebert and Michael Collazo shot and killed Covenant School shooting suspect Audrey Elizabeth Hale

On Monday morning at Covenant School in Nashville, Officer Rex Englebert, who has been serving in the MNPD for four years, and Officer Michael Collazo, who has been in the MNPD for nine years, intervened to prevent the school shooter.

Following a school shooting on Monday morning in Nashville, several children and adults have lost their lives. The Metro Nashville Police Department reported that three students and three adults were fatally shot at Covenant Presbyterian School.

The suspect, identified as a 28-year-old former student of the school named Audrey Hale, arrived on the campus driving a Honda Fit and was heavily armed with three guns, two of which were assault-style weapons.

Surveillance footage indicates that Hale shot into the church and school through doors on the side of the building. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

At 10:13 a.m., the initial 911 call reporting shots fired in the building was made, prompting officers to rush to the campus and begin clearing the building. Gunshots were then heard emanating from the second level.

It was on the second floor, in a common area, that a group of officers encountered Audrey Hale firing her weapon through a window at arriving police cars. Officers Rex Englebert, who has been serving in the Metro Police for four years, and Michael Collazo, who has been in the Metro Police for nine years, shot and killed Hale at 10:27 a.m. during the encounter.

One officer was injured due to broken glass during the incident. MNPD Chief John Drake stated that the shooter had left behind a manifesto and maps, leading investigators to suspect the shooting was targeted.

The victims of the shooting were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, as well as Cynthia Peak (age 61), Katherine Koonce (age 60), and Mike Hill (age 61). The school released a statement regarding the events of the day on Monday evening.

A statement from The Covenant School:

Our community is heartbroken. We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church. We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.

Law enforcement is conducting its investigation, and while we understand there is a lot of interest and there will be a lot of discussion about and speculation surrounding what happened, we will continue to prioritize the well-being of our community.

We appreciate the outpouring of support we have received, and we are tremendously grateful to the first responders who acted quickly to protect our students, faculty and staff.

We ask for privacy as our community grapples with this terrible tragedy – for our students, parents, faculty and staff.