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Nashville shooting timeline: How the massacre unfolded at the Covenant School

1:16
3 kids, 3 adults killed in Nashville school shooting
John Amis/AP
ByIvan Pereira, Alexandra Faul, Lucien Bruggeman, Josh Margolin, and Stephanie Maurice
March 29, 2023, 6:55 PM

Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday.

The alleged shooter, who was identified by police as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Elizabeth Hale, was killed by officers.

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MORE: What we know about Tennessee's gun laws after Nashville shooting

Here is the timeline of what took place, according to investigators. All times are local.

Police responds to an active shooter which took place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville, March 27, 2023.
Nashville Police Department

9:53 a.m.: The suspect's vehicle is seen on surveillance cameras arriving at the school and parking in the parking lot.

9:57 a.m.: The suspect sends a message on Instagram to a former basketball friend from middle school, where the suspect stated, "I am planning to die today."

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MORE: Friend says she contacted authorities after messaging with Nashville shooter Audrey Hale on morning of attack

10:10 a.m.: The suspect is seen in surveillance footage shooting through the front door and entering the building.

10:13 a.m.: Nashville Police receive the first call of an active shooter inside Covenant School.

PHOTO: The suspect entered the Covenant building after allegedly shooting out the glass of these doors.
The suspect entered the Covenant building after shooting out the glass of these doors, authorities said.
Metro Nashville Police Department

10:21 a.m.: The first responding officers arrived on campus, law enforcement officials said.

PHOTO: The shooting suspect, 28, drove this Honda Fit to the Covenant Church/school campus Monday morning and parked. MNPD detectives said they searched it and found additional material.
The shooting suspect, 28, drove this Honda Fit to the Covenant Church/school campus Monday morning and parked, authorities said. MNPD detectives said they searched it and found additional material.
Metro Nashville Police Department

10:23 a.m..: The first officers enter the school, according to investigators. Police body-worn camera footage shows officers going room-to-room looking for the shooter, clearing classrooms and speeding past at least one body in a hallway.

10:24 a.m..: A team of five officers arrived on the second level and followed the sound of gunfire toward the shooter, according to police body-worn camera footage.

A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville, Tenn., March 27, 2023.
John Amis/AP

10:25 a.m.: Two officers engaged the suspect, and the suspect is reported down, according to law enforcement officials.

10:27 a.m. The suspected shooter is declared dead, investigators said.

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