A slain Tennessee girl is being called a hero after losing her life during the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning.
Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was fatally shot Monday while “desperately trying to pull the fire alarm” at the school a little after 10 a.m., according to DailyMail. Police said that the shooter, Audrey Hale, 28 brought three guns and “significant ammunition” into the school after breaking into a side door.
Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department responded within 14 minutes of a 911 call, and killed Hale on the second floor of the school after she “engaged” with them.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police said Hale shot and killed three children and three adults, including Emily. The other victims have been identified as:
- Hallie Scruggs, 9
- William Kinney, 9
- Cynthia Peak, 61
- Katherine Koonce, 60
- Mike Hill, 61
Hale previously attended The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school established in 2001, according to former headmaster Bill Campbell, who told NBC he remembers them as a third and fourth grader in 2005 and 2006. He said his collected annual does not show Hale at the school as a fifth grader.
The school has about 200 students in grades pre-K through 6.
A video released by police shows Hale driving into the school parking lot, then blasting open a side door before roaming abandoned hallways and entering an unlocked office and other doors.
Metro police identified the two officers who opened fire as four-year veteran Rex Englebert and nine-year veteran Michael Collazo.
“They heard shots coming from the second level. They immediately went to the gunfire. When the officers got to the second level, they saw a shooter, a female, who was firing. The officers engaged her. She was fatally shot by responding police officers,” Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron said.
“The police department response was swift.”
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[Feature Photo: Evelyn Dieckhaus/Family Handout]
Additional reporting by KC Wildmoon
