A former student has killed three children and three members of staff in a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

On 27 March, Audrey Hale drove to Covenant School and gained access by shooting through the locked doors before killing Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney (aged nine or under) as well as adult victims Cynthia Peak (61), Katherine Koonce (60) and Mike Hill (61).

According to the BBC, the 28-year-old fired shots on the ground floor before moving to the second floor and being killed by police inside the building at 10:27 local time. Police confirmed that Hale had fired on them from the second floor as they arrived.

Reports are suggesting that the attack was planned and that Hale had arrived armed and wearing protective clothing.

In a statement released to WZTV (as reported by CNN), the school said: “We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church. We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.

“Law enforcement is conducting its investigation and while we understand there is a lot of interest and there will be a lot of discussion about and speculation surrounding what happened, we will continue to prioritise the wellbeing of our community.”

Gun Violence Archive has said that the attack was America’s 129th mass shooting of 2023.