Current:Home > MarketsNashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter’s writings is inconclusive -WealthMap Solutions
Nashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter’s writings is inconclusive
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:46:01
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville Police have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator, the department announced in an email sent to media late on Friday. The writings are part of an ongoing legal battle over whether they should be released as public records.
The Metro Nashville Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability led the investigation into the leak, interviewing officers and forensically examining their electronic devices, according to police. Investigators determined that three cellphone photos were taken of the journals just after they were discovered in the shooter’s vehicle by two detectives with the Specialized Investigations Division. One former police detective who had images from the journal declined interview requests.
“The department does not have the ability to compel statements or cooperation from former employees,” the police statement reads.
The person who killed three 9-year-old children and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville this spring left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. The writings have been the object of intense speculation and an open-records battle, with several groups suing to force Nashville officials to release them to the public.
Police initially said they intended to release the writings once they closed their investigation, which could take up to a year. Since then, a group of Covenant School parents have joined the lawsuit, arguing that none of the documents should ever be released. They say shooter Audrey Hale’s writings could traumatize their children and inspire copycats.
In the midst of the legal wrangling, someone slipped images of three of Hale’s journal pages to conservative commentator Stephen Crowder, who published them on Nov. 6. They include a detailed timeline for the March 27 shooting labeled “Death Day” and a slur-filled diatribe about kids who attend “private fancy schools,” although the 28-year-old Hale was a former Covenant student.
The three children who were killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.
Seven officers were assigned to administrative duties when the investigation into the leak began, but all of them have been returned to regular duties, according to police. Police have briefed the director of Nashville’s Department of Law on their investigation and forwarded the case file to the district attorney’s office.
veryGood! (86)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Spoiler Alert: A Paul Ryan-Led House Unlikely to Shift on Climate Issues
- Ed Sheeran Wins in Copyright Trial Over Thinking Out Loud
- See the Best Dressed Stars Ever at the Kentucky Derby
- Small twin
- Life Kit: How to 'futureproof' your body and relieve pain
- Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than Expected, and It’s More Extreme
- Life expectancy in the U.S. continues to drop, driven by COVID-19
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Cisco Rolls Out First ‘Connected Grid’ Solution in Major Smart Grid Push
Ranking
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Apple event: What to know about its Vision Pro virtual reality headset release
- U.S. Geothermal Industry Heats Up as It Sees Most Gov’t Support in 25 Years
- SEC sues crypto giant Binance, alleging it operated an illegal exchange
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- 7 fun facts about sweat
- Today’s Climate: May 22-23, 2010
- Whatever happened to the Malawian anti-plastic activist inspired by goats?
Recommendation
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Striving to outrace polio: What's it like living with the disease
Science Museums Cutting Financial Ties to Fossil Fuel Industry
Vanderpump Rules Alum Kristen Doute Weighs In on Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ Affair
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
States Begin to Comply with Clean Power Plan, Even While Planning to Sue
58 Cheap Things to Make Your Home Look Expensive
Don't Miss This Kylie Cosmetics Flash Deal: Buy 1 Lip Kit, Get 1 Free