On Monday, a Christian private school in Nashville experienced a mass shooting, resulting in the death of six individuals. Three staff members and three children were among the victims. The shooter, identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, was a 28-year-old transgender and a former student.
On Tuesday, Sen. Josh Hawley called for a federal investigation for the hate crime shooting. The Senator pointed out the shooter had a manifesto and police officials believed it was a “targeted” attack.
Hawley said, “We should be clear about what happened in Nashville. Police say the shooting was ‘targeted.’ That makes it a federal hate crime – against Christian children and teachers. Targeting victims on the basis of religious affiliation is a hate crime. It should be investigated as such.”
“All federal resources necessary should be brought to bear. And those individuals or groups who have spread a message of hate against the Christian community – which resulted here in horrific violence – should be held to account,” he finished.
If it is determined that the shooting was indeed a hate crime, it would fall under federal jurisdiction, and the federal government may provide additional resources and support to local law enforcement agencies in the investigation. This can have implications for how the shooting is investigated and prosecuted.
All federal resources necessary should be brought to bear. And those individuals or groups who have spread a message of hate against the Christian community – which resulted here in horrific violence – should be held to account
AdvertisementAdvertisement— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 28, 2023
Monday’s reports indicated that Hale had previously attended the Christian school as well. The police chief gave an update saying that Hale had a manifesto and the shooting was a direct targeted attack.
The chief said, “We have a manifesto. We have some writing we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out of how this all was going to take place. There’s right now a theory that we may be able to talk about later, but it’s not confirmed.”
A reporter asked, “And Chief, is there any reason to believe that how she identifies is a motive for targeting the school?
“We can give you that at a later time. There is some theory to that,” the Chief said.
Another reporter asked, “So was this a targeted attack?”
“It was,” he said.
The school that suffered the tragedy is a Christian school. Six individuals, including three children, were killed. Hale, a 28-year-old resident of Nashville, carried two assault rifles and a pistol, but was eventually killed by the police.
WATCH:
Nashville’s police chief says there was a manifesto and the trans identity of the killer factors in to the motive of the targeted killings. More details forthcoming: pic.twitter.com/QIjhQf3MpY
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 27, 2023
