"Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers": Police reveal chilling new details about Nashville Covenant school shooter Audrey Hale 

On March 27, 28-year-old student Audrey Hale gunned down 3 students and 3 teachers at the Covenant school, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville.

The suspect was subsequently killed by officers responding to the scene. On Monday, April 3, officials revealed that Hale had meticulously planned the attack for months, even going as far as to study the actions of other mass shooters.

Trigger warning: This article concerns a mass shooting.

Speaking to reporters, a Nashville Police spokesperson said that they discovered a manifesto in Hale's car after the shooting. While authorities could not confirm Hale's alleged motive, they said:

"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."

They further added that Hale acted alone and also "considered the actions of other mass murderers."

The suspect's motives remain under investigation.

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The investigation into Audrey Hale's motive

As per Audrey Hale's parents, the suspect was living with them at the time of the murder. They noted that Hale was under a doctor's care for emotional issues. While the suspect had legally bought some of the weapons used in the massacre, the parents were not comfortable about their child possessing such firearms.

In Hale's writings, they stated that they not only planned on attacking the school, but a Church as well. Another potential target in the attack was a shopping mall.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake said that Audrey Hale may have harbored a grudge against religious institutions, as their conservative Christian values most likely did not align with the suspect's gender identity.

Drake also discussed the possibility that Hale identified "as trans, but we’re still in the initial investigation into all of that and if it actually played a role into this incident.” He added:

“There’s some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school."

The Daily Beast reported that prior to the shooting, Hale had been troubled by the death of a close friend. According to people who knew the suspect, the death of Sydney Shere Sims in an August car crash left Hale devastated.

One friend even said that Hale had been 'infatuated' with Sims.

Sims' twin sister Taylor Sims, however, denied that the car accident had any link to the mass shooting. As per the Daily Beast, she allegedly sent a private message demanding that people stop speculating:

“[The truth] is none of us know why [Hale] did that. So by all means please don’t attach such a nasty, disgusting tragedy to my sister’s name. This is very sick and just goes to show people just talk.”

Officials confirmed that most of the deceased victims of the attack were not known to Audrey Hale.