The Nashville school shooting suspect’s chilling final messages have come to light, issuing a dark warning to a friend that “something bad is about to happen” just minutes before killing six in the horror attack.
Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old former student at the school, sent a series of direct messages to friend Averianna Patton via Instagram on Monday morning.
In the harrowing messages sent at 9.57am, Hale revealed plans to die by suicide, telling Ms Patton “this is my last goodbye” and that she would soon be reading about it “on the news after I die”.
“One day this will make more sense,” Hale wrote.
“I’ve left behind more than enough evidence behind. But something bad is about to happen.”
Just 16 minutes later – at 10.13am – law enforcement received the first 911 call reporting shots fired inside The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hale had allegedly entered the Christian elementary school armed with two “assault-style” weapons as well as a handgun.
Inside, Hale opened fire, killing three small children and three staff members. The former student at the school was captured on surveillance footage stalking the corridors looking for victims.
Three students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney – all aged nine – and three staff members Katherine Koonce, 60, Cynthia Peak, 61, and Mike Hill, 61, were all killed by the shooter.
Responding officers shot the assailant dead at 10.27am.
Ms Patton, a former middle school basketball teammate of Hale, said that her friend had a history of mental health struggles.
In the messages, shared with NewsChannel 5, Hale wrote: “So basically that post I made on here about you, that was basically a suicide note.
“I’m planning to die today. THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!
“You’ll probably hear about me on the news after I die.”
She continued: “This is my last goodbye. I love you [heart emoji] See you again in another life. Audrey (Aiden).”
Ms Patton, a former middle school basketball teammate of Hale who shared the messages with NewsChannel5, responded telling her friend “you have so much more life to live”.
Hale wrote back saying that “I just need to die” and that “my family doesn’t know what I’m about to do”.
Ms Patten told NewsChannel 5 that she contacted the Suicide Prevention Help Line at 10.08am to try to get her friend help.
“Audrey has shared with others that she had been suicidal in the past and I knew to take this serious,” Ms Patton said.
Then, at 10.13am, Ms Patton said she called the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff’s Office to tell them about the situation.
She said she was told to contact Nashville’s non-emergency number.
That very same minute, her former teammate was allegedly carrying out a mass shooting at the elementary school.
“I called Nashville’s non-emergency line at 10.14am and was on hold for nearly seven minutes before speaking with someone who said that they would send an officer to my home,” she said.
At 3.29pm, an officer finally came to her home to speak to her, she said.
By that point, she had learned from the news and from friends what Hale had done.
“After phone calls from friends and Audrey’s name was released as the shooter at Covenant Nashville school, I learned that Audrey was the shooter and that she had reached out to me prior to the shooting,” Ms Patton said.
“My heart is with all of the families affected and I’m devastated by what has happened.”
Ms Patton said that she believes there could have been more urgency from authorities when she contacted them about the chilling messages from Hale.
Hale – an illustrator and graphic designer who attended Nossi College of Art – does not appear to have had any criminal record prior to Monday’s massacre.
Police have identified the suspected shooter by their name at birth; Hale reportedly was a transgender man who used he/him pronouns, though law enforcement officials initially described the suspect as a woman in the aftermath of the shooting. Police did not provide another name but on the suspect’s social media accounts they refer to themselves as Aiden.
The killer’s motive remains unclear but Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said in a press conference on Monday that the mass shooting was “targeted”.
Hale had drawn a detailed map of the school ground, including potential entry points, and carried out surveillance of the building prior to massacre, he said.
A “manifesto” was also found during a search of Hale’s home.
“We have a manifesto, we have some writings we’re going over that pertain to this day, the actual incident,” said the police chief.
“We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place. There’s right now a theory that we may be able to talk about later but it’s not confirmed, and so we’ll put that out as soon as we can.”
He later told NBC News that investigators believe the shooter had “some resentment for having to go to that school”.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
