A Nashville school principal was reportedly attacked Monday by an “emotionally disturbed” former student who ran toward the shooting in an effort to save her pupils.
Dr. Katherine Consey, the school’s 60-year-old principal, was found dead inside a corridor, which the Nashville police chief said indicated she had an “encounter” with Audrey Hill, the 28-year-old transgender woman.
Hill fired through the locked glass door at the Covenant School entrance at 10:13 a.m. Monday, and the alarm was sounded. Hill then began rowing for victims — chosen at random, police said — and was seen on surveillance footage walking through the corridors with assault rifle in hand.
Ross Polley, a Nashville city council member and former FBI agent, said Consi tried to save her students.
Catherine Consey, the school’s principal, was among those shot dead by Hill
“The director, Dr. Concey, when he heard the first shots, ran towards the danger,” he wrote on Facebook.
She also made sure that the school was equipped with active shooting training and protocols. These actions have saved countless lives.
Pulley told Fox News Digital that Kunce was on a Zoom call when Hill exploded.
Nashville City Councilwoman Ross Polley said Konsi died protecting her students
“My understanding from those who watched at the school is that Katherine Consey was on a Zoom call when the first shot was heard,” Polley said.
She immediately hung up, got up and walked straight to the shooter.
I did what principals and principals do; She protected her children.
“In addition, I prepared the school by seeking active shooter training at an advanced level and from witnesses at the scene, this protocol, of which I cannot give details, saved countless lives.”
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Tuesday he had no doubt it moved toward danger — though he didn’t have exact details.
“There was a confrontation, I’m sure—you could tell by the way she was lying in the hallway,” Drake said.
Concie’s pastor, West End Community Church, paid tribute to her sacrifice.
“She gave her life in defense of the children in her care,” John Bourgeois said in a note sent to church members.
Two other school employees were also killed in the shooting – Cynthia Beck, a 61-year-old substitute teacher, and Mike Hill, a 61-year-old guard.
Three nine-year-olds were killed.
Hale’s LinkedIn profile indicated that they are now living as a man. Police and Hale’s parents refer to the 28-year-old as “she,” but some online profiles suggest Hale went by “Aiden.”
Cynthia Beck (left, with her daughter Ellie), and Mike Hill, the guardian (right) were among those shot dead by Audrey Hill
Haley Scruggs is one of three nine-year-olds killed in Monday’s shooting. She is seen with her father, Chad Scroggs, the pastor at the school’s Presbyterian church
Tributes poured out to the second victim, Will Kinney, (pictured), who was shot and killed along with Haley Scruggs and Evelyn Dyckhouse, all 9, in the massacre.
Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was one of the fatal shooting victims
Drake said Hill, the trustee, was shot and killed when gunmen fired a hail of bullets into the locked glass doors to enter the school.
I don’t know the details yet. “But I have a feeling, when it all comes out, Mike’s sacrifice saved lives,” said Tim Dunavant, pastor at Hartsville First United Methodist Church, who hired Hill at Covenant School 13 years ago.
I don’t have anything realistic to base that on. I just know what kind of man he was. And I know he’s the type who would.
It shows a portrait of Hale as a deeply troubled young woman who was angry with her parents for her Christian upbringing.
Drake said there was “displeasure” in the statement.
Hill’s parents, church coordinator Norma, 61, and her husband, Ronald, 64, knew she had a gun at one point but told her to sell it because they thought he couldn’t be trusted.
Ronald and Norma Hill told police that they were unaware their daughter was still carrying weapons
Hale was identified from her car parked at the school
The 28-year-old shot through a locked door (pictured) to enter the school
The wreckage from Hale’s forced entry into the school was photographed. The 28-year-old shot through the locked school door
Instead, she hid and added to her inventory, purchasing seven different weapons in total from five local stores.
The Nashville Police Chief said Hill was being treated for an emotional disorder.
Chief Drake said, “Law enforcement doesn’t know about the transaction, and they clearly shouldn’t have guns.”
Authorities also confirmed that Hill’s mother had asked her what was in a red backpack she was carrying on the morning of the murder but she refused her question.
Hale then took three of her weapons to Covenant School – two rifles and a revolver.
Two more weapons were seen being removed from the home Tuesday in video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.
Of her family, Drake said: ‘They felt she had one gun and she sold it. She was under the care of doctors due to an emotional disorder.
Her parents felt that she should not have guns, and were under the impression that she no longer had guns.
“But she was hiding many inside the house.”