Nashville Chief of Police John Drake confirmed the authenticity of the leaked pages of the Covenant Christian School shooter’s manifesto and announced an investigation into the “unauthorized” release of the documents.
Conservative political commentator Steven Crowder released three pages of the manifesto written by Audrey Hale, the now-deceased individual who shot and killed six people inside the Christian school in March. An official with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) fatally shot Hale on the second floor during an open fire.
Drake condemned the “unauthorized release” of the pages and vowed to “identify the person responsible” for the leak.
“I am greatly disturbed by today’s unauthorized release of three pages of writings from the Covenant shooter,” Drake said in a Monday statement. “This police department is extremely serious about the investigation to identify the person responsible. This action showed a total disregard for Covenant families, as well as the court system, which has control of the shooter’s journals at the present time due to litigation filed earlier this year.”
“It is now pending in Davidson County Chancery Court and the Tennessee Court of Appeals. We are not at liberty to release the journals until the courts rule. Our police department looks forward to the ultimate resolution of the litigation concerning the journals,” Drake said.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake: “I am greatly disturbed by today’s unauthorized release of three pages of writings from the Covenant shooter. “
“This police department is extremely serious about the investigation to identify the person responsible.”… pic.twitter.com/ts2M3qRR57
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 7, 2023
Crowder posted the three images to Twitter and read the words on his show, “Louder with Crowder,” early Monday. The first page, titled “DEATH DAY,” details Hales’ plan to open fire inside the school and create a “high death count.” On the next page, the shooter wrote, “Kill those kids!” and wrote about her plan to specifically kill the white children. (RELATED: Nashville School Shooter Identified As Transgender Artist)
“Kill those kids! Those crackers,” an image of the page posted by Crowder reads. “Going to private fancy schools with those fancy kwackis + sports backpacks with their daddies mustangs + convertibles. Fuck you little shits. I wish to shoot you[r] weak ass dicks w/your mop yellow hair, wanna kill all you little crackers!!! Bunch of little faggots w/your white privileges fuck you faggots.”
The next page shows a schedule of the day leading up to the shooting, listing 12:33 p.m. as the time to “open fire” and then “die” soon after, according to a photograph posted by Crowder.
The MNPD initially told the Daily Caller and other outlets that it was unknown whether the pages were authentic or not, and were “aware” of a possible leak. The department said the images were not “crime scene images” in a Monday statement.
An attorney representing Hale’s parents said he was “not in a position” to confirm or deny the pages’ authenticity.
“We have never seen a manifesto at any time. We’re not in a position to authenticate these pieces of paper. We have absolutely not released anything, but we certainly did not release this,” David Raybin told WSMV4, an NBC local affiliate. “It’s inappropriate for me to make any further comment about it.”
Shortly after the shooting, authorities said Hale wrote a manifesto before carrying out the attack. The documents had not been publicly released since it is under ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), a Nashville city council member told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) in late March. The city council member assured the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) that the manifesto would eventually be released to the public.