Audrey Hale, the 28-year-old accused of murdering six people during a March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tenn., kept a hidden journal and weapons in her bedroom, according to police.
“In the collective writings by Hale found in her vehicle in the school parking lot, and others later found in the bedroom of her home, she documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School,” said a Monday press release from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
According to a search warrant cited by CNN and Daily Beast, there was also a hidden shotgun with firearm accessories in a shoebox, old yearbooks from the school and a suicide note among what the Beast called “a trove of eerie items.”
In addition to five yearbooks for The Covenant School, Hale also had a school photo from the small religious institution. Previously, authorities said that she had attended the school and that “resentment” towards the teachers there may have been one of her motivations.
Writings discovered in the search of Hale’s home “remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia,” said Nashville police Monday. So far, a motive for Hale’s rampage has not been officially established. Available information indicates she acted alone and that she “considered the actions of other mass murderers.”
Upon entering the school last Monday, Hale made her way to the second floor of the building, armed with three weapons. She fired a total of 152 rounds (126 rifle rounds and 26 9mm rounds) during the massacre. Police entered the building after her and fatally shot 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,” said police.
Per CNN, victims of the shooting include three 9-year-old children: Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. Hale also allegedly killed school custodian Mike Hill, 61, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and head of school Katherine Koonce, 60.
While Hale brought three guns to The Covenant School, the Daily Beast reported that police found a Browning shotgun and “miscellaneous” firearm accessories in a shoe box in a closet Monday, as well as a Winchester shotgun resting next to a desk. Altogether, authorities said Hale legally purchases seven guns.
Both CNN and the Daily Beast reported that 47 total items were found at Hale’s home. These also included home videos from the home’s basement, electronics, car keys, targets, ammo boxes, healthcare cards, a resume and something identified as a “psych folder.”
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