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Nashville school shooting: Beloved school head among victims Nashville school shooting: Beloved school head among victims
(about 5 hours later)
Watch: Dramatic scenes from school shooting in Tennessee Watch: Bodycam footage shows fast police response
Watch: Dramatic scenes from school shooting in Tennessee Watch: Bodycam footage shows fast police response
A school head, a custodian and a substitute teacher are among the victims of a shooting that has left six dead at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.A school head, a custodian and a substitute teacher are among the victims of a shooting that has left six dead at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Three staff members and three pupils were killed in the attack by a 28-year-old former student at the Covenant School on Monday. Three pupils were also killed in the attack by a 28-year-old former student on Monday. The children, all aged nine, have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.
The three children, all aged nine, have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.
The three employees killed were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61.The three employees killed were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61.
Police said they did not believe any of the victims had been specifically targeted.Police said they did not believe any of the victims had been specifically targeted.
Katherine Koonce, 60
Katherine Koonce was described by one parent as a "saint"Katherine Koonce was described by one parent as a "saint"
Katherine Koonce was the head of school at Covenant, and one parent told BBC News she was a "saint". Koonce was the head of school at Covenant, and one parent told BBC News she was a "saint".
"She did so much for those kids," said the mother, who has two children enrolled at Covenant. "She did so much for those kids," said the mother, who has two children enrolled at the school.
"She knew every single student by name," she added. "She did everything to help them when families couldn't afford things, it didn't matter. She found ways for them to stay." "She knew every single student by name," she said. "She did everything to help them when families couldn't afford things, it didn't matter. She found ways for them to stay."
On a welcoming page on the school's website, Ms Koonce wrote the school is "about more than simply educating our students". Robert Gay said he met Ms Koonce when he was a student at Christ Presbyterian Academy, a small private Christian school in Nashville where he said Koonce once worked as a special education teacher.
She said the school's mission was "helping children become who God intends them to be". He told BBC News she was always willing to encourage and empower her students.
"She could speak really carefully in a way that would encourage students to see the best in them and to grow," he said.
"She always made her students feel that they were loved by a God who cared about them personally, and that it was our job to show that love to each other as fellow people."
Watch: 'No parent should have to receive that call'Watch: 'No parent should have to receive that call'
Watch: 'No parent should have to receive that call'Watch: 'No parent should have to receive that call'
She was also the author of the book Parenting the Way God Parents: Refusing to Recycle Your Parents' Mistakes. Koonce later became the head of the Covenant School, which was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to the school's website.
A bio for her on Penguin Random House's website said she had over 18 years of experience and a master's degree. Mike Hill, 61
The Covenant School was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, according to the school's website. Hill was a custodian at the school and his daughter, Brittany Hill said he died doing a job "he absolutely loved".
Mike Hill was a custodian at the school.
His daughter, Brittany Hill, said he died doing a job "he absolutely loved".
"Today my Dad lost his life at the Covenant School," she shared in a post on Facebook."Today my Dad lost his life at the Covenant School," she shared in a post on Facebook.
"I have watched school shootings happen over the years and never thought I would lose a loved one over a person trying to solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution.""I have watched school shootings happen over the years and never thought I would lose a loved one over a person trying to solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution."
Tim Dunavant, a pastor at Hartsville First United Methodist Church, said he had previously worked at Covenant and had hired Mr Hill over 13 years ago. Mike Hill was killed doing a job that he loved, according to his family
Mr Hill worked at the Covenant School for more than 14 years, according to a statement from his family. "As we grieve and try to grasp any sense of understanding of why this happened, we continue to ask for support," the statement said.
Tim Dunavant, a pastor at Hartsville First United Methodist Church, said he had previously worked at Covenant and had hired Mr Hill.
He said he would miss "those encouraging texts out of the blue" from Mr Hill, and would not be surprised if it turned out Mr Hill had sacrificed his life to save others because "he's the kind of guy that would do that".He said he would miss "those encouraging texts out of the blue" from Mr Hill, and would not be surprised if it turned out Mr Hill had sacrificed his life to save others because "he's the kind of guy that would do that".
Cynthia Peak was a substitute teacher working at the school on the day of the attack, police said. Cynthia Peak, 61
Of the children, Hallie Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Peak was a substitute teacher working at the school on the day of the attack, police said.
The pastor described his daughter as "such a gift" in a statement toABC News. She grew up in Louisiana. Chuck Owen, who said he was a lifelong friends of hers, wrote a tribute to her on Facebook saying he couldn't wrap his mind around her death. "I grieve through tears as I write these words," he wrote.
Peak is survived by her husband, daughter and two sons.
Hallie Scruggs, 9
Hallie was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He described his daughter as "such a gift" in a statement to ABC News.
He also spoke of his faith that they would one day be reunited.He also spoke of his faith that they would one day be reunited.
"We are heartbroken," he told the outlet. "Through tears we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again.""We are heartbroken," he told the outlet. "Through tears we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again."
Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9
At a church service held hours after the shooting, a senior minister at Woodmont Christian Church said Evelyn Dieckhaus was in the third grade. Her sister, who is two years older, cried during the service according to the Tennessean newspaper.At a church service held hours after the shooting, a senior minister at Woodmont Christian Church said Evelyn Dieckhaus was in the third grade. Her sister, who is two years older, cried during the service according to the Tennessean newspaper.
"I don't want to be an only child," the report quotes her as saying."I don't want to be an only child," the report quotes her as saying.
William Kinney was a nine-year-old student at the Covenant School. William Kinney, 9
Rachael Freitas, a friend of the family, described the 3rd grader as a child with an "unflappable spirit".
"He was unfailingly kind, gentle when the situation called for it, quick to laugh, and always inclusive of others," she wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser she created in his honour. "Sweet Will knew no strangers, and our hearts our broken for his family as they try to find their way forward."
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