The pastor of a Nashville church is mourning the death of his daughter after a former pupil opened fire at the church’s school, killing three students and three adults.
Chad Scruggs, left, and Hallie Scruggs in 2019.Facebook
The shooter has been identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old who once attended The Covenant School.
President Joe Biden addressed the shooting on Monday afternoon duringthe Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Summit.
“It’s sick,” Biden said. “We’re still gathering the facts of what happened and why and we do know that as of now, there are a number of people who did not make it, including children. It’s heartbreaking. A family’s worst nightmare.”
Biden thanked Nashville officers saying they “responded incredibly swiftly, within minutes, to end the danger.”
RELATED VIDEO: 3 Children, 3 Adults Killed in Nashville School After 28-Year-Old Woman Opens Fire; Shooter Also Dead
“We have to do more to stop gun violence,” Biden continued. “It’s ripping our communities apart. Ripping the soul of this nation, and we have to do more to protect our schools so that they aren’t turned into prisons. You know, the shooter in this situation reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol — two AK-47s, so I call on Congress again to pass my assault weapons ban. It’s about time that we begin to make some more progress.”
Dr. Jill Biden, who was delivering remarks at a National League of Cities event when word of the shooting circulated, told the crowd, “We just learned about another shooting in Tennessee – a school shooting. And I am truly without words. And our children deserve better. And we stand, all of us, with Nashville in prayer.”
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he is closelymonitoring the situation in a tweet and wrote, “As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community.”
According to statistics from theGun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot, regardless of the number of fatalities, there were 128 mass shootings in 2023 as of Monday morning.
source: people.com
