[9][10] At 9:57, Hale sent an Instagram message to an old friend saying an earlier post was "basically a suicide note" and anticipating dying that day.
[12] At 10:11, Hale, armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, an AR-style pistol and a handgun, shot through a set of glass side doors and entered the building.
He then returned to the second floor and entered the emptied-out church sanctuary, where he fired seven times at a stained-glass window depicting Adam and Eve with his carbine before leaving.
[33][c] The deceased faculty members were substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; custodian Mike Hill, 61; and head of school Katherine Koonce, 60.
[36][37] MNPD Police Chief John Drake said Hale was under care for an emotional disorder and had legally purchased seven firearms, including three recovered from the shooting scene, between October 2020 and June 2022.
On the day of the shooting, MNPD Chief John Drake said that authorities "feel that [Hale] identifies as trans, but we're still in the initial investigation into all of that".
[24][44] Hale was believed to have undertaken reconnaissance, and had originally considered targeting another location but had decided not to carry out the attack due to the level of security on the premises.
Hale's surviving writings, including diaries and a planning document, initially called a "manifesto", were described by police as "rambling" and empty of any specific political or social issues.
[37] Three pages of Hale's diary, described by CNN as containing "hate-filled language" directed at the school and its children, were leaked by conservative commentator Steven Crowder on November 6, 2023.
[48] A memorial concert was held at the Fisher Center at Belmont University, with artists including Carrie Underwood, Tyler Hubbard, Colony House, and Thomas Rhett performing.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee also established one for The Covenant School, and GoFundMe created a list with verified similar fundraisers.
[50][51] Several notable Nashville musicians including Mickey Guyton, Margo Price, and Sheryl Crow offered their condolences and anger about continual school shootings.
[52] Actress Melissa Joan Hart, who was nearby when the shooting occurred and helped escort some of the fleeing children to safety,[53] recounted the experience on Instagram a day later.
Ogles's response was subsequently criticized on social media after a photo of him and his family posing with AR-15s in front of a Christmas tree resurfaced.
[55] Arizona gubernatorial press secretary Josselyn Berry tweeted, hours after the shooting, a meme of an actress from Gloria pointing two pistols alongside the text: "Us when we see transphobes."
[56][57] As a part of a long-running Internet meme, posts misidentifying the shooter using an altered photo of comedian Sam Hyde circulated on social media.
[69] After their actions during the March 30 protest, Johnson and Jones were stripped of their committee assignments and, alongside Pearson, were notified that they could be expelled from the House.
[13] David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, later called the descriptor a "mischaracterization", describing the writings as a document detailing Hale's plan and "journal-type rantings".
[37] The MNPD denied requests for the files by The Tennessean[80] and state senator Todd Gardenhire,[81] who argued, along with some open-government advocates, that Tennessee's public records laws required the release of the writings.
[29] Metro Nashville Council Member Courtney Johnston said that the FBI had told her that the documents would not be released because they detailed a "blueprint of total destruction" and could inspire other shooters.
[29][80] Senator Bill Hagerty said, "I think people do deserve to know what took place [and] what was in the mind of this sick person that committed these heinous murders.
"[80] House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison attributed the lack of a legislative response to the shootings to the delayed release, saying, "We cannot possibly address this horrific situation until we know what was in [the] manifesto.
[94][46] The leaks showed that Hale was hoping for "a high death count" and had a stated desire to "kill little crackers" and "faggots" with "white privilege".