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Bodycam footage shows how Nashville school shooting unfolded Bodycam footage shows how Nashville school shooting unfolded
(about 2 hours later)
A quick response by officers is being credited with saving lives in Nashville Watch: Bodycam footage shows fast police response
Watch: Bodycam footage shows fast police response
America's latest mass shooting was put to a stop by police officers minutes after they arrived at Nashville's Covenant School.America's latest mass shooting was put to a stop by police officers minutes after they arrived at Nashville's Covenant School.
The shooting - which left three children, three staff members and the culprit dead - began around 10:10AM (16:10 BST) when 28-year-old Audrey Hale arrived at the school and approached a side entrance. The shooting began at 10:10 AM (16:10 BST) on Monday when 28-year-old Audrey Hale arrived at the school and approached a side entrance.
CCTV footage from inside the school depicts what happens next: glass doors shatter in a flurry of gunshots, allowing the heavily armed suspect to enter. At least one victim - 61-year-old custodian Michael Hill - was shot in this initial salvo. CCTV footage from inside the school depicts what happens next: glass doors shatter in a flurry of gunshots, allowing the heavily armed attacker to enter.
For the next eight minutes or so, Hale, clad in combat pants and a red cap, is seen prowling the halls. Occasionally, the suspect is seen pointing a rifle down hallways, although it is unclear at what, or whom. Over the next 11 minutes or so, three children and three staff members would be fatally shot. The attack would end with police officers shooting Hale dead.
The shooting would end with police officers fatally shooting Hale.
Here's what we know about how the tragedy unfolded.Here's what we know about how the tragedy unfolded.
The attack begins
According to Hale's parents, the attacker left home on Monday morning carrying a red bag, which authorities now believe contained the weapons used in the shooting. Hale dismissed her mother when she asked about the contents of the bag.
It is unclear what time this took place or how much time passed until Hale arrived at Covenant School. CCTV footage shows her arriving to the school's parking lot in her car at about 09:54 AM.
Custodian Michael Hill, 61, was shot through the glass during the opening salvo of gunfire at 10:10 AM. Police received the first 911 call about the shooting three minutes later at 10:13 AM.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the head of the school, Katherine Koonce, was found in a hallway where a "confrontation" had taken place with the suspect.
It is not clear where the other victims were found, although police believe none of the victims were targeted individually.
Shots fired at policeShots fired at police
Much of what we know about the response to the shootings comes from six minutes of body-cam footage released by Nashville police, taken from two members of a five-officer team at the scene. When the officers arrived, the suspect fired at them from an upstairs window, damaging at least one police car.
The two officers have been identified as Rex Engelbert, a four-year veteran of the force, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran. At the time the officers arrived, the suspect was firing at police from an upstairs window, according to Nashville police. Nashville Police Chief John Drake said investigators believed that the suspect had some training to be able to fire from an elevated position, positioned slightly back from the window in order to not be "an easy target".
Nashville Police Chief John Drake has said investigators believe that the suspect's shooting from the window displayed "some training", as the shooter was firing from an elevated position slightly behind the window "so she wouldn't be an easy target".
An unidentified woman can be heard telling officers that two children are missing,An unidentified woman can be heard telling officers that two children are missing,
The footage shows Mr Engelbert arriving at the school and quickly arming himself with a rifle from the boot of his vehicle. It is unclear what exact time this took place, as the bodycam has no time stamp. The rest of what we know about the shootings comes from six minutes of bodycam footage from officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo.
The footage shows Mr Engelbert at the school and quickly arming himself with a rifle from the boot of his vehicle. It is unclear what exact time this took place, as the bodycam has no time stamp.
As he exits his vehicle, an unidentified woman tells him that "the kids are all locked down" but that two children are unaccounted for. Soon after, the woman, who appears to be in communication with staff members inside, notes that "a bunch of kids" are upstairs.As he exits his vehicle, an unidentified woman tells him that "the kids are all locked down" but that two children are unaccounted for. Soon after, the woman, who appears to be in communication with staff members inside, notes that "a bunch of kids" are upstairs.
Just over a minute after arriving, Mr Engelbert and the other officers enter the school and begin a methodical sweep of the first floor before moving up towards the second, where gunfire can be clearly heard.Just over a minute after arriving, Mr Engelbert and the other officers enter the school and begin a methodical sweep of the first floor before moving up towards the second, where gunfire can be clearly heard.
In a second clip - taken from Mr Collazo's bodycam - an officer can be heard remarking that "we've got one down", to which Mr Collazo replies: "Keep pushing." The officers then begin jogging down a hall, past a victim on the floor. Officers kill the shooter
In a clip taken from Mr Collazo's bodycam, an officer can be heard saying "we've got one down", to which Mr Collazo replies: "Keep pushing." The officers then begin jogging down a hall, past a victim on the floor.
The video shows that Mr Engelbert first encountered the shooter after rounding a corner into an atrium from where Hale appeared to be shooting.The video shows that Mr Engelbert first encountered the shooter after rounding a corner into an atrium from where Hale appeared to be shooting.
He fires four shots at the shooter, who falls to the ground. Approaching officers fire four more shots and demand that the shooter stop moving. The suspect's weapons are then removed as the shooter lays motionless in front of the atrium window. He fires four shots at Hale, who falls to the ground. Other officers fire four more shots and shout at the shooter to stop moving. The suspect's weapons are then removed as the shooter lays motionless in front of the atrium window.
The fatal shooting of the suspect took place less than four minutes after officers first pulled up to the school in their vehicles. The shooting of the suspect took place less than four minutes after officers first pulled up to the school in their vehicles.
What have police said about the response? The actions of the officers at the scene - particularly Mr Engelbert and Mr Collazo - have been credited with saving the lives of other potential victims.
The actions of the officers at the scene - particularly Mr Engelbert and Mr Collazo - are being widely praised and credited with saving the lives of other potential victims.
In an interview with the BBC's US media partner CBS News, Mr Drake said that "we could have [had] far more casualties than we had".In an interview with the BBC's US media partner CBS News, Mr Drake said that "we could have [had] far more casualties than we had".
"They immediately responded when inside, addressed and mitigated the suspect," he added."They immediately responded when inside, addressed and mitigated the suspect," he added.
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On US media outlets, police experts have noted that the response in Nashville stands in stark contrast to police actions during the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. In that incident, police hesitated for an hour and 14 minutes, giving the suspect more time to kill victims. A total of 21 people, including 19 children, were killed in Uvalde. The response in Nashville appears to stand in stark contrast to police actions in the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
In that incident, police hesitated for 74 minutes, giving the suspect more time to kill. A total of 21 people, including 19 children, died.
"I would say that under extreme circumstances, they [Mr Engelbert and Mr Collazo] went above and beyond," police trainer Todd McGhee told the local Tennessean newspaper. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be.""I would say that under extreme circumstances, they [Mr Engelbert and Mr Collazo] went above and beyond," police trainer Todd McGhee told the local Tennessean newspaper. "Those first responding officers were the model response in how active shooter response should be."
"It could have been as bad as Uvalde, based on what Hale had for firepower," he added.
What happened next?
Media reports about the incident first started trickling out at about 10:30 AM, following a tweet from Nashville's fire department.
At about noon local time, children that had been evacuated from the school began arriving at a reunification centre set up at a nearby church. Local media has reported that all the surviving children were reunited with their families by about 1600 local time.
In subsequent hours, police had also searched the suspect's car and a nearby home that was listed as the shooter's address. There, police say they recovered more weapons, as well as diagrams and other evidence that makes investigators believe the assault was well-planned.
"We have some writings that we're going over that pertain to this day, the actual incident," Mr Drake said. "We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place."
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