A homemade shirt made by Audrey Hale and found in her bedroom. (Metro Nashville Police Department)
The killer had plans for additional targets beyond the initial plans for the high school. The Opry Mills Mall and a stretch of Belmont Boulevard near Belmont University were also on her list. If her parents found out about her intentions, she planned to kill them and proceed with the attack on the Belmont target as well, according to investigators.
She dedicated months to practicing at the firing range and adorned her clothes and guns with the phrase “Dark Abyss,” a name symbolizing her battle with depression.
But the attack was delayed multiple times, including once after the death of a close friend in a car crash.
The Covenant School shooting tragically claimed the lives of six victims—three children and three adults. (Metro Nashville Police Department)
Hale, who began using the name “Aiden Williams” in the years before her death, was killed by responding officers in harrowing bodycam video.
“Hale believed that she needed to cause the deaths of at least 10 people during the attack to consider it a success. In this aspect, she fell short, partly due to the preventative measures taken by the faculty and staff at The Covenant,” stated the police. “Nevertheless, she achieved the notoriety she sought by meticulously documenting her life and plans unlike any other mass perpetrator before her.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
