Shawn Johnson Reveals Her Children’s School Was on Lockdown amid Nashville Shooting: ‘Today Changed Me’
Nashville #Nashville
Three children and three adults were killed after a 28-year-old former student allegedly opened fire at a private elementary school in Nashville on Monday morning
The tragic shooting in Nashville hit close to home for Shawn Johnson, whose children attend a nearby school.
Three children and three adults were killed during a shooting on Monday morning at a private elementary school in Nashville after a 28-year-old former student opened fire inside the building, a Nashville police spokesman said.
Hours later, Johnson revealed that her children’s school was locked down.
“I haven’t been able to catch my breath since reading the news and getting a call from our school that they were on lockdown as well given the news,” she wrote in a message in her Instagram Story on Monday. “Shaking. Crying. Heartbroken. Horrific.”
Related:3 Children, 3 Adults Killed in Nashville School After 28-Year-Old Woman Opens Fire
She added that her two children — daughter Drew Hazel East, 3, and son Jett James East 1 ½ whom she shares with husband Andrew East — “are now home with us.”
“I feel lucky and blessed but still so incredibly sad,” she continued. “No parent or family should ever have to deal with this.”
She went on to speak about the horrific scene in the aftermath of the shooting.
“I’ve seen childrens ambulances, countless police cars, buses of children being transported to safety, parents flying down the street laying on their horns, people sprinting in and out of churches and schools looking for their kids. Today has changed me,” the athlete, 31, wrote.
Related:Nashville TV Reporter Covering School Shooting Reveals Her ‘Angel’ Mother-in-Law Survived the Attack
At the time of her posts, three children and two adults had died. Since then, it’s been confirmed that three adults have died.
“Praying for the families whose baby won’t be coming home from school today and the families who have lost a piece of themselves,” she continued. “I also pray for the children and adults who may have witnessed, first hand, the heinous acts of violence inflicted today.”
“Jesus, please be near,” she added.
RELATED VIDEO: 3 Children, 3 Adults Killed in Nashville School Shooting
The former Olympic gymnast also shared footage that her husband captured on the street that showed police cars and school buses driving down the road.
“Andrew caught this on the way home with our babies from their lockdown,” the mom of two shared. “These are all of the babies from the shooting being taken to safety. My mama heart is shattered you guys. You don’t ever fully recover from this. Thinking of these beautiful innocent babies, their families, the first responders, the teachers, everyone affected by todays heinous acts. Helicopters are still circling. The silence in Nashville is very loud right now.”
She followed it up with a photo of her holding her babies with tears in her eyes, writing that it was taken “when Andrew got our babies home.”
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She added a video of her kissing her children, adding that she “can’t stop crying”
“A friend said it the best…. Nashville is way more than a city, it’s a family,” she wrote in another message. “Every single person is separated by two degrees and knows each other, prays for each other, goes to church together.”
Don Aaron, the Nashville Police Department spokesman, said the shooter entered The Covenant School through the side entrance before opening fire. The shooter was engaged on the second floor of the building by two police officers who responded to a 10:13 a.m. call. The shooter died at the scene, Aaron said.
According to a tweet from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the shooter has been identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale. Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during a Monday afternoon press conference the shooter was a former student at The Covenant School. It’s unclear when the student attended the school.
Aaron added there are no other gunshot victims, but a police officer was injured by broken glass.
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