Memorial held for Nashville shooting victims; motive still unclear

A candlelight vigil was held in Nashville, Tennessee’s capital, on Wednesday to honor the six victims of Monday’s massacre at a private Christian school. The tribute included reciting the names of the three children and three adults who were shot to death: Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, Hallie Scruggs, Mike Hill, Katherine Koonce, and Cynthia Peak.

Mayor John Cooper, along with local leaders and clergy, expressed their condolences, saying that “Nashville has had its worst day. Our hearts are broken.”

The perpetrator, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a former student at the Covenant School, was fatally shot by responding officers. Although she targeted the school, police have confirmed that the individual victims were killed at random.

Nashville police chief John Drake has stated that authorities have yet to identify the motive behind the attack, but investigators are looking at the shooter’s mental health. Hale was under a doctor’s care for an emotional disorder.

Monday’s shooting is the latest in a string of dozens of school shootings in the United States this year. As with most mass shootings, the tragedy has reignited the debate over gun ownership rights and regulations.

During an event in Durham, North Carolina, on Tuesday, President Joe Biden called for lawmakers to pass an assault weapons ban. He stated that the nation owes the families of the victims more than just prayers and that the U.S. must do more to stop gun violence from tearing communities apart.

Sources : CGTN