Three adults and three children are confirmed dead following a mass shooting Monday morning at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville. The 28-year-old female suspect was killed in an altercation with police.

Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said during a press conference that three adults and three students were killed in the shooting at The Covenant School.  The female shooter had entered the school through a side entrance armed with at least two “assault-type rifles” and a handgun and moved from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots. The suspect was fatally shot by two of five-member police team around 10:27 a.m. in a second floor lobby.  Police said that the shooter was a former student of the school.

The Covenant School was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church and has students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Enrollment fluctuates between 195 and 210 with 33 teaching faculty members. On a normal day, the school has about 200 students and 40 staff members on campus.  Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk said the investigation remains ongoing: “While I cannot comment on the ongoing nature of the investigation, I’m really impressed with the work that’s being done by law enforcement. This is the ultimate crime when school children and caregivers are the victims of senseless gun violence.”

The school shooting is believed to be the fifth in the Nashville area since 2011, and first since 2018. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., tweeted: “Chuck and I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state and local officials and we stand ready to assist. Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.”

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