The Nashville mayor’s office called on the city’s legal team Monday to investigate the possible unauthorized release of the writings of the shooter who indiscriminately opened fire at the private Nashville school in March, killing three children and three adults before being fatally shot by police.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell issued the statement shortly after conservative radio host Steven Crowder released what he said were three images of Audrey Hale’s writings from the day of the shooting.
Metro Nashville Police Department said Monday the images were not “MNPD crime scene images” and that it was working with Nashville’s legal department in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation declined to confirm the authentication.
Authorities have not disclosed any of Hale’s journals or writings that were collected after the March 27 shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. The shooter left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings.
Police then reversed course, saying that because of the lawsuits they would await the direction of the court on whether to release Hale’s writings.
That lawsuit is ongoing.
“I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and well-being of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving,” O’Connell said.
Wally Dietz, Nashville’s law director, confirmed in a statement Monday that he was launching the investigation, but said he could not immediately confirm nor deny the authenticity of the documents due to the limited information surrounding the “possible leak.”
The Associated Press also has not confirmed the authenticity of the documents released Monday. The AP is one of several groups that have requested the writings but is not involved in the lawsuit to obtain them.
Attorneys representing families with the Covenant School have repeatedly said they have not seen Hale’s writings.
Brent Leatherwood, whose three children attend Covenant School, challenged Crowder and anyone who would amplify the images online to “just be a human for once,” and stop seeking clicks or platform building. Talking to reporters, Leatherwood said the writings have the ability to inspire further attacks.
