Nashville shooter Audrey Hale killed by cops in bodycam

August 2024 · 4 minute read

Police have released frightening bodycam footage of the moment officers took out mass shooter Audrey Hale — as it was revealed she suffered from an “emotional disorder” and hid her cache of weapons from her parents.

The footage, released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, shows officers Rex Englebert and Michael Collazo storming through The Covenant School’s hallways as they methodically hunted down the 28-year-old mass killer on Monday.

Soon after entering the building, the heroic cops could be seen rushing towards an atrium on the second floor of the private Christian academy while repeatedly shouting “shots fired.”

As they rounded the corner and laid eyes on Hale, the bodycam shows officers rapidly firing as the shooter blasted bullets in their direction.   

Seconds later, Hale could be seen dropping to the floor.

The footage shows cops cautiously approaching the shooter’s limp body as they screamed “don’t move” and “get your hands away from the gun.”

Hale, who was armed with two rifles and a handgun, was killed in the shootout.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the 28-year-old had legally purchased seven guns from various local stores  — including the three used in the massacre.

The footage shows the moment cops took out Audrey Hale after she opened fire at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

The shooter was also being treated for an emotional disorder — and had hidden her cache of weapons from her parents, the police chief said.

“She was under care, doctor’s care, for an emotional disorder,” Drake told reporters, adding that cops “knew nothing about the treatment she was receiving.”

The police chief did not elaborate on what kind of emotional disorder she was suffering.

Hale was killed in a shootout with police officers after she killed six people in the school. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

A source close to the Hale family told the Daily Beast that the shooter was autistic “but high-functioning” — however, cops were unable to immediately confirm that.

Hale also identified as transgender, Drake revealed at an earlier press conference Monday, though it wasn’t clear whether the suspect identified as a man or woman.

Asked whether Hale’s identity could be a factor in the motive, Drake said, “There is some theory to that, we’re investigating all the leads.”

Hale is seen on the ground after the shootout. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

Hale used male pronouns and the name Aiden on some social media accounts.

The mass killer – dressed in a red hat backward, military fatigue pants, and a dark vest — had also earlier been captured on surveillance video casually stalking the hallways for victims as cops were rushing towards the scene.

Police said Hale managed to gain access to the school by pumping bullets through the glass doors on the side of the building.

Footage released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, shows officer Rex Englebert storming through the school’s hallways looking for Hale. MNPD/MEGA

After unleashing a reign of deadly terror, the shooter then started firing at arriving officers from the second-story window where she was eventually taken out.

Hale gunned down three 9-year-olds and three staffers in the minutes before police fatally shot her.

The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and Williams Kinney, as well as custodian Mike Hill, 61, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and headmaster Katherine Koonce, 60.

Officer Michael Collazo was at the school with Englebert while on the hunt for the 28-year-old shooter, according to the footage. MNPD/MEGA

Drake hasn’t yet revealed a motive for the massacre but said Hale, who was a former student, had meticulously planned out the carnage.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the school shooting in Nashville

Hale was a former student at The Covenant School. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
Audrey Hale seen in a first-grade yearbook photo. The Covenant School

A search of Hale’s home uncovered a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points.

The shooter also conducted surveillance of the building before carrying out the massacre, Drake added.

We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident,” he told reporters on Monday.

Surveillance footage of Hale inside the school with a gun. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

“We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”

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