Josh Hawley Calls on Feds to Investigate Nashville School Shooting as Hate Crime

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called on the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the shooting at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27 as a hate crime against Christians.

The Nashville Police Department (NPD) identified 28-year-old Audrey Hale as the shooter of six people, including three 9-year-old children, who were confirmed to have been killed at The Covenant School.

Police Chief John Drake identified Hale as transgender, and a LinkedIn page that was allegedly associated with Hale indicated that she used โ€œhe/himโ€ pronouns in her biography.

The NPD said Hale was also a former student at the school and was being treated by a physician for an โ€œemotional disorder.โ€

In his letter to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Hawley called the shooting a targeted attack (pdf).

โ€œAn individual identified by police killed six peopleโ€”students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, and employees Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Michael Hillโ€”in a murderous rampage at a Christian school known as The Covenant School,โ€ Hawley wrote.

Surveillance footage shows Hale, wearing camouflage pants and a red baseball cap turned backward, shooting through the glass doors of the school to enter the building.

The NPD later released body-camera footage of the departmentโ€™s response to the shooting, capturing a search that led officers to the second floor where police shot and killed Hale at 10:27 a.m.

โ€˜Premeditated and Targetedโ€™

Though Hawley said incidents like this are frequently labeled as โ€œsenseless violence,โ€ he argued Hale targeted Christians, and pointed to federal law which criminalizes acts of violence against people with religious affiliations as hate crimes.

โ€œAccording to Nashville law enforcement, Haleโ€™s attack was both premeditated and โ€˜targetedโ€™ against this Christian school, its students and employees,โ€ Hawley said. โ€œNashville police chief John Drake announced yesterday that โ€˜we have a manifesto, we have some writings, that weโ€™re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident . . . . We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.’โ€

Hawley added that police believe Hale had โ€œsome resentment for having to go to that school.โ€

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Why the Trump Administration is Sitting on the Epstein Files

President Trump, AG Bondi, and FBI Dir. Patel have the advantage over us in that they see the big overall picture when it comes to the Epstein List.

Trumpโ€™s โ€œMajor Statementโ€ On Russia Is A Clumsy Attempt To Thread The Needle

The โ€œmajor statementโ€ on Russia Trump hyped up turned out to be an attempt to thread the needle between escalating US involvement in Ukrainian and walking away from it.

AI Takes Customer Service from Doublespeak to Triplespeak

Corporations are replacing customer service agents with AI agents. Here's a real-life example of attempting to use AI to have my internet restored.

The Left’s Descent into Extremismย ย 

The political left, from mainstream Dems to radical Antifa, have embraced extremism, alienating swaths of the public and undermining their own influence.

Roger Stone Speaks About Trump at Turning Point USA

Longtime Donald Trump friend, Roger Stone, gave a speech at the 2025 TPUSA convention offering his take on the recent Epstein List controversy.

What to Know About the ICE Operation at California Cannabis Farms

The immigration operation at two cannabis farms led to the detention of 361 Illegal Immigrants, and 14 unaccompanied minors being found.

Nvidia Says Washington Has Given Nod to Sell H20 AI Chips to China

Nvidia expects to resume sales of H20 graphics processing units to China as U.S. govt give assurances it will grant the tech giantโ€™s license applications.

On โ€˜Butler Miracle Anniversary,โ€™ Groups Mark Trumpโ€™s Survival and Heroโ€™s Tragic Death

A rainbow spread across dark clouds over the Butler Farm Show inspiring awe among people gathered for an event called โ€œThe Butler Miracle Anniversary.โ€

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Constitutionality of Gun Bans for Drug Users

Federal appeals court ruled law barring people who regularly use illegal drugs from owning guns is constitutional because of public safety concerns.

Trump to Announce $70 Billion Energy and Innovation Investment in Pittsburgh

President Trump is meeting with business leaders to discuss how best to meet the energy and computing needs of the future.

Trump Says He Spoke to Bongino Amid Reports of Infighting Over Epstein Files

President Trump spoke to FBI Deputy Dir. Dan Bongino, indicating the two remain close despite reported friction over release of Jeffrey Epstein docs.

EU Wonโ€™t Retaliate to Trumpโ€™s 30 Percent Tariff, Countermeasures on Hold Until August

EC President Ursula von der Leyen said EU will extend suspension on countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until next month while trade negotiations continue.

Trump Announces 30 Percent Tariff on EU, Mexico

President Donald Trump has announced a 30 percent tariff on imports from the European Union and Mexico, to go into effect on Aug. 1, 2025.
spot_img

Related Articles