Who is Averianna Patton? Audrey Hale Instagram DMs surface online in wake of Nashville shooting 

Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale reportedly sent chilling Instagram messages to a former middle school basketball teammate named Averianna Patton, moments before launching the deadly attack on The Covenant School that left three children and three adults dead.

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence, s*icide and shooting. Reader discretion is advised.

The messages sent to Patton and obtained by NewsChannel 5 showed Hale telling the former that they were planning to die:

“So basically that post I made on here about you, that was basically a suicide note. I am planning to die today. THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!! You'll probably heart about me on the news after I die. This is my last goodbye. I love you. See you again in another life.”

The message was signed as “Audrey (Aiden).” Officials said that the shooter identified as transgender and used he/him pronouns but was born female. No further details about their transition, preferred pronouns or official names have been made available to the public.

In a series of follow-up messages, Audrey Hale told Patton that they do not want to live and their family doesn’t know what they are “about to do”:

“I don't want to live. I am so sorry. I am not trying to upset you or get attention. I just need to die..... My family doesn't know what I'm about to do.”

Hale also warned that “something bad” would happen that day:

“One day this will make more sense. I've left behind more than enough evidence behind. But something bad is about to happen.”

Reports suggest that Audrey Hale entered The Covenant School around 10:13 AM and randomly shot at people before being killed by the police 15 minutes after the attack.

Hale reportedly drove to school in a Honda Fit, which was later discovered on the Covenant Church/School campus and helped officials identify the shooter.

The adult victims of the shooting were identified as Head of School Katherine Koonce (60), custodian Mike Hill (61) and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak (61). The attack also left nine-year-old children Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney dead.

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What is known about Audrey Hale’s former teammate, Averianna Patton?

In the wake of the tragic Nashville school shooting, Audrey Hale’s Instagram DMs to former basketball teammate Averianna Patton surfaced online. In the messages, the shooter told Patton that they wanted to die and warned that something bad would happen.

Hale said they wanted to tell Patton about their intentions because she is the “most beautiful person” the shooter has seen and known in their life. In her response to the message, Patton was seen comforting Hale and telling them to live instead of giving up:

“Audrey! You have so much more life to live. I pray God keeps and covers you.”

Patton told NewsChannel 5 that she contacted the Suicide Prevention Help Line after comforting Audrey Hale. She then contacted the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff’s Office before being instructed to call Nashville's non-emergency number:

“I called Nashville's non-emergency line at 10:14 AM and was on hold for nearly seven minutes before speaking with someone who said that they would send an officer to my home. An officer did not come to my home until 3:29 PM.”

She revealed that Audrey had previously told others that they “had been suicidal in the past” and hence Patton decided to take the matter seriously.

The latter also shared that she learned about Audrey Hale being the suspect in the Nashville Covenant School shooting after receiving calls from other friends:

“After phone calls from friends and Audrey's name was released as the shooter at Covenant Nashville school, I learned that Audrey was the shooter and that she had reached out to me prior to the shooting. My heart is with all of the families affected and I'm devastated by what has happened.”

No other details about Averianna Patton’s personal life are available at the time of writing.