3 children, 3 adults killed in Nashville elementary school shooting, officials say shooter was a 28-year-old woman

Metro Nashville Police officers gather near Covenant School where three children and three adults were killed by a female shooter Monday, March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. The perpetrator was killed by police at the scene.
Metro Nashville Police officers gather near Covenant School where three children and three adults were killed by a female shooter Monday, March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. The perpetrator was killed by police at the scene. Photo credit © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Updated 2:16 p.m. EST — Nashville police have identified the shooter as a 28-year-old Nashville-area woman. Initially officials thought the woman to be a teenager.

"Two MNPD officers who entered the building and went to the sounds of gunfire engaged the shooter on the second floor and fatally shot her," police shared in their update. Her name has not yet been released.

Click here for the latest updates on the Nashville elementary school shooting

Updated 1:35 p.m. EST — During a press conference following the shooting, police shared that the shooter was a girl who "appeared to be in her teens." Her identity has not yet been released.

"We know that she was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun," police shared.

The shooter is believed to have entered the school through a side entrance moving from the first to the second floor firing "multiple shots."

Police also shared that there are now three adults and three children who suffered fatal wounds as a result of the shooting. Police are working to identify the victims and an investigation is ongoing.

Updated 1:27 p.m. EST — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee took to Twitter following the shooting, sharing that his office is "closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant" and working alongside state and local law enforcement.

"I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant, & the @TNDeptofSafety & @TNHighwayPatrol are assisting local law enforcement & first responders at the scene," the governor wrote on Twitter. "As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community."

Updated 1:15 p.m. EST — A local hospital has confirmed to CNN that the shooting has taken the lives of at least three children at the elementary school.

"We can now confirm 3 children and 2 adults from the school shooting were transported to our Adult Emergency Department [2 adults] and [3 children] to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital," Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser told NBC News. "All 5 patients have been pronounced dead."

Police are expected to hold a press conference on the shooting shortly. The press conference can be listened to here.

Updated 12:45 p.m. EST — Police in Nashville responded to a shooting at a school on Monday morning. The shooting has left “multiple” people injured and the shooter dead, according to officials in the city.

“An active shooter event has taken place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Burton Hills Dr.,” the Nashville Police Department tweeted. “The shooter was engaged by MNPD and is dead.”

The Nashville Fire Department confirmed that they also responded to the reports of the shooting, noting that they had “multiple patients.”

Police are expected to hold a press conference soon. No further information has been made available at this time.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK