3 children killed in shooting at Nashville private Christian school

By JONATHAN MATISSE | Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Three children were killed in a shooting at a private Christian grade school in Nashville on Monday, hospital officials said. The suspect is also dead after a confrontation with police.

All three children had gunshot wounds from the shooting at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school for about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade. The victims were pronounced dead upon arrival at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone else was wounded in the attack. Other students walked to safety Monday, holding hands as they left their school surrounded by police cars, to a nearby church to reunited with their parents.

The shooter died after being “engaged by” officers, Metro Nashville Police said in a Twitter post. It was not immediately clear whether the shooter died by suicide or was shot by police.

The fire department said it responded to an “active aggressor” but did not give any specifics. Other details about the shooting were not immediately available.

On WTVF TV, reporter Hannah McDonald said that her mother-in-law works at the front desk at The Covenant School. The woman had stepped outside for a break Monday morning and was coming back when she heard gunshots, McDonald said during a live broadcast. The reporter said she has not been able to speak with her mother-in-law but said her husband had.

The Covenant School was founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2001, according to the school’s website. The school is located in the affluent Green Hill neighborhood just south of downtown Nashville, situated close to the cities top universities and home to the famed Bluebird Café – a beloved spot for musicians and song writers.

The grade school has 33 teachers, the website said. The school’s website features the motto “Shepherding Hearts, Empowering Minds, Celebrating Childhood.”