(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The shooter who attacked students and teachers at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday was identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who law enforcement said may have once attended the school.
A website that appears to be associated with Hale indicates that Hale was a Nashville-based graphic designer and illustrator who created logos and branding to “help tell a company’s story” and “bring a whimsical and light-hearted feel.”
A police spokesperson told ABC News that Hale was assigned female at birth, and pointed to a social media account linked to Hale that included use of the pronouns he/him.
In a brief phone interview with ABC News, Hale’s mother, Norma Hale, said, “It is very, very difficult right now” for the family, before asking for privacy.
“I think I lost my daughter today,” she said.
A neighbor of the family told ABC News that Audrey Hale lived at the family’s home with Hale’s parents, who the neighbor described as “very nice” and “very religious.”
Hale graduated from Nashville’s Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022, school president and CEO Cyrus Vatandoost confirmed to ABC News.
“While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student,” Vatandoost said of Hale. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, to the victims and their families and to our city.”
A post on the school’s Facebook that has since been removed indicated that Hale earned at least one award for strong academic performance.
“Aside from art, I enjoy binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports,” Hale wrote on a personal website. “There is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground. Animals are my second passion, so I also enjoy spending time with my two cats.”
Hale’s LinkedIn account also lists work as a part-time grocery shopper with the food delivery service Shipt and mentions past employment as a cat sitter.
Founded in 2001, the Covenant School is a private Presbyterian school in Nashville with some 200 students in pre-K through sixth grade, according to the school’s website.
(NEW YORK) — The people of Moore, Oklahoma, may be used to rebuilding.
About 800 homes in the Oklahoma City suburb were destroyed or damaged in 1999 by a powerful F5 tornado, with wind speed peaking near 300 miles per hour. They rebuilt.
Four years later, Moore was hit by an F4, destroying about 500 homes. They rebuilt again.
In 2013, the community was hit a third time by an F5 tornado that wrecked about 1,100 homes.
After the three costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history and dozens of deaths, Moore rebuilt differently, quietly rolling out a new building code in 2014.
The following year, the town was hit again by a less powerful F3 tornado.
“Some of the same homes that were rebuilt, using the new code, were hit, and they did not receive the amount of damage that a non-fortified home received,” said Elizabeth Weitman, Moore’s community development director. “So we know it works. Why other cities aren’t doing this?”
As small towns across the Mississippi Delta recover after a weekend of deadly tornadoes, community leaders face the challenge of rebuilding. For towns like Rolling Fork, Mississippi, rebuilding efforts are expected to be extensive, with homes left as a path of timber piles, insulation, and plastic siding.
Community leaders in towns like Moore and Joplin, Missouri — which suffered devastating tornadoes in 2013 and 2011, respectively — described their rebuilding as a time-sensitive balancing act straddled by multiple conflicting desires.
A chief part of that balancing act is cost. Mandating large-scale construction changes to improve storm resiliency can price out residents from rebuilding, especially in poorer communities.
Moore town officials said they believe they’ve struck that balance with their updated 2014 building code — including continuous plywood bracing, wind-resistant garage doors and framing anchors — which they say has improved the town’s resiliency for future tornadoes. The low-cost, adding roughly $3,000 for new construction, of their 12 code changes has made the shift towards resilient construction accessible for local residents, especially those with insurance to cover construction costs.
“I think it’s really important to understand what Moore Oklahoma has done; they are probably the shining example of what can happen after a really awful event,” said Ian Giammanco, lead research meteorologist for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
Rolling Fork uses a building code from 1999, meaning even modern buildings may lack newer construction techniques that would improve their ability to weather storms, according to Giammanco.
Though it’s unlikely that any building could withstand the kind of winds that Rolling Fork encountered Friday night, Giammanco stresses that building codes fundamentally changed in the 2000s.
Beginning in the 1980s, scientists and engineers began to understand better how wind impacts buildings; by the early 2000s, building codes began to reflect the new understanding, Giammanco said. Improved anchor bolts could more firmly connect a building’s walls to its foundation, while improved bracing latched a roof to its supporting walls.
Don Davis, vice president of the Building Owners & Managers Association, said the impact of modern building codes is evident in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes.
“You’ll find pockets of entire communities that are newer and were built up to the most recent building code, and you will find that they’re still fully intact and survived, with very little damage, if any, at all,” he said. “And if you compare that to some of the structures that were much older, right next to them, those buildings were blown away, there was nothing left.”
Despite the impact of these code changes, many towns still rely on outdated codes, including Rolling Fork, according to Giammanco.
Some communities also have to grapple with the question of cost. After a deadly tornado killed 161 people in Joplin, the city decided against mandating “hardened ” safe rooms to new constructions to improve survivability.
“I had a call from an elderly citizen who said just adding that $5,000 to her cost, [she] would not be able to rebuild,” said Joplin’s director of planning and development, Troy Bolander.
Joplin emerged stronger after the storm because it communicated with and encouraged community members to rebuild, according to Bolander and Public Information Officer Lynn Iliff Onstot.
Bolander said that town leadership embraced low-cost solutions that improved resiliency, such as requiring hurricane clips that better fasten roofs to walls, as well as reinforcing concrete foundations — changes that roughly cost $2,000.
“What we try to do is [find the] balance where you can increase resiliency, but not make it cost prohibitive for somebody to rebuild,” he said.
While both Joplin and Moore have been success stories by rebuilding after their tragic tornadoes and even growing their populations, officials warned that residents can face severe financial barriers to rebuilding.
“Only those who have access to insurance and education really are going to return to normal, or do better,” said Chauncia Willis, the president of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management.
A 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office noted that federal disaster aid is “fragmented across more than 30 federal entities,” making it harder for vulnerable communities to navigate federal programs successfully. The challenges low-income residents face in securing aid “leads to a longer recovery time, if they recover at all,” Willis said.
“Recovery does not happen for everyone … many people are driven into further poverty after a disaster,” she said.
In an interview with ABC News, Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said he would confidently approach the challenge of rebuilding his town from the rubble, noting that assistance from the federal government would be a key to rebuilding, especially for uninsured residents.
“We’re starting with ground zero to build this community back,” he said.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The six victims of a fatal shooting at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, have been identified by law enforcement officials.
Three children and three staff members were killed at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade, on Monday morning.
The Metro Nashville Police Department identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Katherine Koonce, 60
Koonce was the head of the Covenant School, according to police.
Cynthia Peak, 61
Peak was a substitute teacher, according to investigators.
Mike Hill, 61
Hill was a custodian, investigators said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif.) — A train carrying raw material derailed in California on Monday, according to San Bernardino County fire officials. There were no passengers on the Union Pacific train, but multiple cars containing iron ore derailed, officials said.
According to Union Pacific officials, 55 train cars, including two locomotives, derailed at 8:30 a.m., local time.
One locomotive suffered a minor leak, which is being investigated by hazmat officials, county fire officials said.
There were no injuries and no active fires, as well as no threat to the public or the environment, San Bernardino County Fire tweeted.
In a statement to ABC News, Union Pacific confirmed that the derailed cars did have iron ore, which spilled, but that it isn’t hazardous and that there were no hazardous materials on the train.
“The crew was not in the cab at the time of the derailment and there was uncontrolled train movement,” Union Pacific said in a statement. “The crew was not injured.”
The derailment is currently being investigated, Union Pacific said.
The incident comes more than a month after a Norfolk Southern foreign train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing vinyl chloride, ethyl acrylate and isobutylene into the environment.
Norfolk Southern officials had conducted a controlled burn of toxic chemicals from the train a few days after the derailment, which worried residents who expressed concerns they were exposed to high levels of the colorless gas vinyl chloride, which easily burns and is associated with an increased risk of several cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Earlier this month, 28 cars of another Norfolk Southern train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, but no hazardous materials were involved, officials said.
The four empty tankers were previously carrying diesel exhaust fluid and an additive commonly used in wastewater treatment, according to Clark County, Ohio officials.
According to the United States Geological Survey, iron ore is important for steel production as it is the source of primary iron for steel and iron industries around the world.
In December, a Union Pacific freight train carrying iron ore derailed in Southern California, according to the Associated Press. There were no reported injuries.
ABC News’ Matthew Fuhrman contributed to this report.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Three children and three staff members were shot and killed at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, according to officials.
The shooting unfolded Monday morning at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade.
The female suspect, who appeared to be in her teens, was shot and killed by authorities in a lobby area on the second floor of the school, police said at a news conference.
No one who was shot survived, officials said.
The suspect entered the school through a side entrance and was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun, officials said. She has not yet been identified, police said.
Alex Apple told ABC News Live that his mother works at the school’s front desk. Apple said she was at her car when she got an alert saying to shelter in place.
“She got out of her car, heard the gunshots, so she fled,” he said.
The school has about 209 students and about 40 to 50 staff members, officials said.
First lady Jill Biden briefly addressed the shooting at the top of her remarks at the National League of Cities conference on Monday.
“I am truly without words. Our children deserve better,” she said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted that he’s “closely monitoring the tragic situation.”
“Please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community,” Lee said.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The Nashville Fire Department is reporting multiple patients from an “active aggressor” at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday.
The Covenant School is a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade.
The fire department said it’s responding and described the school as “an active scene.”
Additional information was not immediately available.
(NEW YORK) — The Fox News producer who sued the network last week alleging she was “conditioned and coerced” to give false testimony in the billion-dollar defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems has now been fired, according to amended complaints filed on Monday morning.
In amended complaints filed in Delaware and New York Monday morning, former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg expanded on her earlier complaints, alleging that Fox News attorneys directed her to testify during her deposition in a way that would “inculpate” her and host Maria Bartiromo while “exculpating … certain blame worthy male colleagues.”
“Ms. Grossberg’s deposition testimony, as manufactured by Fox News, put Ms. Grossberg and Ms. Bartiromo squarely on the frontline of the Dominion/Fox Lawsuit so they could be scapegoated as sacrificial female lambs,” the complaint alleges.
Dominion filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News in March 2021, accusing the network of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories about the voting machine company in the wake of the 2020 election, in order to combat concerns over ratings and viewer retention.
Grossberg filed a pair of lawsuits last week accusing the network of fostering a “toxic atmosphere victimizing women.”
The former producer has now left open the door to testifying on behalf of Dominion at trial, saying in the complaint that she “will never testify on behalf of Fox News” and that she will “only testify — if at all — on behalf of Dominion.”
In a statement responding to Grossberg’s new complaint Monday, a Fox News representative said, “Like most organizations, FOX News Media’s attorneys engage in privileged communications with our employees as necessary to provide legal advice. Last week, our attorneys advised Ms. Grossberg that, while she was free to file whatever legal claims she wished, she was in possession of our privileged information and was not authorized to disclose it publicly.”
“We were clear that if she violated our instructions, Fox would take appropriate action including termination,” the statement said. “Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox’s privileged information. We will continue to vigorously defend Fox against Ms. Grossberg’s unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
As part of her new allegations, Grossberg in the Delaware complaint claims she was unable to review or correct her deposition transcript despite asking to do so at least six times. She claims that “her testimony might not be completely accurate.”‘
“Ms. Grossberg attests that she would have answered differently had she not been conditioned and intimidated by the Fox News Attorneys,” the complaint states, in reference to one of Grossberg’s answers that was used in Dominion’s public filings.
Grossberg, a producer with Tucker Carlson Tonight, alleges that after being deposed by Dominion attorneys, she communicated to Fox’s lawyers “that Mr. Carlson’s name had come up, but that she protected him,” according to the amended complaint. Specifically, Grossberg alleges that during her deposition she was shown a text message of Carlson calling Trump-aligned attorney Sidney Powell the “C word,” which she says she falsely testified did not bother her.
Referring to Carlson’s senior producer, Alexander McCaskill, the complaint alleges that “Mr. McCaskill said he was happy with the answers she had given and suggested they order the staff lunch to celebrate her defense of Mr. Carlson’s misogynistic-laden texts that were shown to her.”
In reality, the complaint states, Grossberg “knew full well, largely based on public information, that Mr. Carlson was very capable of using such disgusting language about women in the workplace.” But, says the complaint, she was “was conditioned to constantly remember that she could not do anything to jeopardize” her position on Carlson’s staff, “so she again kept quiet.”
The complaint alleges that Grossberg was fired from the company on Friday in “yet another thinly veiled act of retaliation.”
“When Fox News realized that it could not stop Ms. Grossberg from speaking her truth to the world in her immutable ‘public filings’ — either by intimidation, obfuscation, or baseless attempts at judicial intervention — it terminated her employment,” the complaint says.
(NEW YORK) — Communities in the southern United States awoke Monday morning reeling from a deadly tornado outbreak and powerful thunderstorms.
Over the weekend, at least 27 tornadoes were reported across five states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Officials said at least 25 people died in Mississippi, where one long-track twister left a trail of destruction for about 59 miles. There was at least one storm-related death in Alabama, where officials said a man succumbed to his injures after being rescued by first responder.
President Joe Biden approved disaster relief for Mississippi on Sunday.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service shows the same storm system will linger in the Southeast on Monday with damaging winds, large hail and an isolated tornado threat. Parts of southern Georgia and South Carolina will be in the bullseye, including the cities of Columbus, Savannah and Charleston. Flood watches and warnings have been issued for areas of Alabama and Georgia.
A new storm is set to arrive on the West Coast on Monday night, bringing heavy rain and wind along the shore and heavy snow to the mountains. The heavy rain is expected to reach the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday morning, but gusty winds will begin Monday. Parts of northern California could see local rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California, where local snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 feet is possible over the coming days.
This new storm system is forecast to sweep across the country, brining more severe weather to Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday. Areas from Texas to Wisconsin could see a major outbreak of severe weather on Friday, with threats of tornadoes, damaging winds and huge hail.
Meanwhile, a late season winter storm could hit areas further north, from the Dakotas to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Dan Amarante, Matt Foster, Kenton Gewecke, Rob Marciano, Will McDuffie, Juan Renteria, Jim Scholz and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
(WEST READING, Pa.) — Seven people are dead and several others are injured after an explosion at a chocolate factory Friday in West Reading, Pennsylvania, police and city officials said.
Two additional bodies were recovered from the rubble at the site of the factory Sunday night, West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben said at a press conference. While they still need to identify the victims, it’s believed they’re the two people who were previously considered missing, the chief said.
One person had been found alive overnight in the rubble, officials said earlier.
Tower Heath said earlier its hospital in West Reading received 10 patients from the explosion. Of those, two were admitted and are in good and fair condition and six have been discharged. Two others were transferred to other hospitals, it said.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag issued an emergency declaration Saturday to access more resources for emergency responders on the scene.
An investigation to determine the official cause of the fire will be conducted, officials said.
“In the initial incident report from Berks County to PEMA, a reference to a gas leak was included. It is really important to note that incident reports from counties are a snapshot in time of the understanding of the incident at the time the report was made,” Ruth A. Miller, PEMA’s communications director, said in a statement.
The explosion occurred around 4:57 p.m. at the RM Palmer Company in West Reading, located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It caused destruction to one building nearby and damaged another.
Kaag, a former volunteer firefighter, called the incident “pretty scary,” adding that it was so strong it pushed a building back 4 feet. The mayor said the factory building was “pretty leveled” and crews will “probably” be working through the weekend to clear the debris.
In a statement Saturday, RM Palmer said it is “devastated by the tragic events.”
“We have lost close friends and colleagues, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all who have been impacted,” the company said. “We are sincerely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all of the first responders and for the support of our Reading community, which has been home to our business for more than 70 years.”
The company said it will continue to coordinate with local and national agencies to assist in the recovery process. It added that it has been unable to get in touch with the families of impacted employees due to downed communication systems but “will be providing additional information and making contact with employees, impacted families, and the community as soon as possible.”
Images of the scene showed smoke and flames billowing from the factory on Friday evening.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was on site Saturday surveying the damage and “to pledge our support as the community recovers,” he tweeted.
