Two local NBC news anchors became visibly emotional during live news coverage of the tragic shooting at a Nashville school Monday that claimed the lives of six people, including three children at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
The WSMV announcers in Nashville had a hard time compiling themselves as they reported the shocking news.
Anchor Holly Thompson became emotional and struggled to speak as she tried to report the breaking news that the active shooter had been confirmed dead and that several children had also lost their lives.
“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, filled with emotion. ”.
Thompson expressed her condolences, saying, “My heart hurts right now. Thoughts and prayers for these families.
Its anchor, Amanda Hara, briefly took over the broadcast before passing it on to journalist Michael Warrick who was outside the studio.
Announcers Amanda Hara, left, and Holly Thompson, right, got emotional and struggled to speak
Holly Thompson finds her voice shattered when she reports the tragic school shooting
Amanda Hara can be seen wiping away tears as she delivered the emotional news
Later, Thompson returned and had to offer support this time to Hara who struggled to hold back tears while discussing how parents could not get any real-time information on their children’s well-being during the tragedy.
“There are so many questions and people wanting to know what was really going on,” she began, cracking audibly. ‘There really are no words.’
Thompson relieved her by tapping her arm.
Earlier in the broadcast, Hara also got emotional when she explained how her children’s schools had been closed as a precaution – adding to the distress of the whole situation.
The shooting left three children and three adults dead after a 28-year-old broke out at a small private Christian school.
Amanda Hara put her arm on co-host Holly Thompson in an attempt to calm her down
Later, Holly Thompson returned the favor and placed her arm on Amanda Hara’s shoulder
Amanda Hara struggled to speak while reporting the disturbing news live
Holly Thompson appears to avoid the camera as her voice breaks and her eyes well up with tears
Children hold hands as they leave Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three children and three staff members.
The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dechhaus, Haley Scruggs and William Kenny, all aged 9, Cynthia Beck, 61, Kathryn Consey, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
The school’s website states that Ms. Konsi is the principal of the school.
Police said the gunman was a 28-year-old from Nashville. It is believed that she was a former pupil of the school.
President Joe Biden has again called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban in the wake of the Nashville shooting.
“It’s heartbreaking, the family’s worst nightmare,” he said. “It is tearing the soul of this nation apart, it is tearing the soul of this nation apart.”
Children from Covenant School walked past an ambulance on Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three staff and three students, before being shot by police.
I am truly without words, said First Lady Jill Biden, and our children deserve better. We stand, all of us, we stand with Nashville in prayer.
The suspect’s identity as a woman surprised experts on mass shootings with women making up only about 5 to 8 percent of all mass shootings.
The tragedy lasted approximately 14 minutes. Police received an initial call about an active gunman at 10.13am.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said officers began cleaning the ground floor of the school when they heard gunshots coming from the next floor.
Aaron said two officers from a team of five opened fire in response, killing the suspect at 10.27am.
He said that there were no police officers present or assigned to the school at the time of the shooting because it is a church-run school.
The victims were declared dead upon arrival at Monroe Caryl Jr. Children’s Hospital, Craig Boerner, a spokesperson for Vanderbilt University Medical Center affiliated with the children’s hospital.
A family prays together after a reunion outside Covenant School in Nashville
Other students walked to safety on Monday, holding hands as they left their school surrounded by police cars, to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents.
Policemen carrying rifles, heavy jackets and helmets were seen walking through the school parking lot and around the perimeter of the grassy building.
Covenant School was founded as a ministry of the Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2001, according to the school’s website.
The school is located in the upscale Green Hill neighborhood south of Nashville, close to the city’s top universities and home to the famous Bluebird Café – a beloved hangout for musicians and songwriters.
The website said the school has 33 teachers. The school’s website displays the motto “Nurture Hearts, Empower Minds, and Celebrate Childhood”.
Democratic State Representative Bob Freeman, whose district includes Covenant School, called Monday’s shooting an “unimaginable tragedy.”
I live near Covenant and pass by it often. “I have friends who go to both church and school,” Mr. Freeman said in a statement.
I have also visited the church in the past. Seeing this breaks my heart.
A police officer walks at the entrance of Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville
