The latest in a series of mass shootings in the United States has left the nation reeling, as a 28-year-old woman wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three pupils and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. The tragedy unfolded over roughly 14 minutes, with the gunman dead after being shot by police following the violence at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school for about 200 pupils.
According to police, the gunwoman had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and carried out surveillance before the attack. She was identified as a former pupil at the school, and her motives remain unclear. The victims included three nine-year-old pupils, Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, as well as adults Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61. The headteacher, Ms Koonce, was among those killed.
The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents in schools across the country, with President Joe Biden calling for Congress to pass his assault weapons ban. “It’s heartbreaking, a family’s worst nightmare,” he said. “It’s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation.”
Victims of the shooting
The tragedy has also sparked reactions from first lady Jill Biden, who tweeted that the nation stands with Nashville in prayer, and Democratic state representative Bob Freeman, who called the shooting an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Experts on mass shootings have noted that the suspect’s identity as a woman is unusual, with women making up only about 5% to 8% of all mass shooters. The case is also significant because it is the seventh mass killing at a US school since 2006, with all previous incidents involving male gunmen.
As the nation grapples with the latest tragedy, the city of Nashville is mourning the loss of four lives at the hands of a former pupil who had accessed “assault-style” weapons. The shooting serves as a devastating reminder of the need for stricter gun control measures and increased support for school safety initiatives.
