Six people – including three children – are dead after a female shooter opened fire at a private school in Nashville.
The incident took place at the Covenant School, an elementary school on the outskirts of the city.
Police say the shooter – who has not yet been named – killed three kids and three adults before being shot dead by police. Her identity has not yet been confirmed, but police said initially they believed she was a teenager.
Later, they confirmed she was a local 28-year-old.
The small school is run by a church and does not employ a school resource officer.
Children hold hands as they leave The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a female shooter opened fire, killing three kids and three staff members
Children from The Covenant School run past an ambulance on Monday after a female shooter opened fire, killing three staff members and three students, before being shot by police
Students are evacuated from The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a female shooter killed three kids and two adults
A father carries his son out of The Covenant School in Nashville after a shooter killed three students and two staff members before being shot dead
Shortly before 10.13am, the woman entered the school through a side door and began opening fire on the second floor.
Police arrived at the scene and heard the gunshots coming from the 2nd floor. By 10,.27am, she had been shot dead. She was armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun.
Parents have been told to collect their children from a nearby church, but no other information has been given.
‘I know this is probably the worst day of everyone’s lives.
‘I can’t tell you how sympathetic we are,’ a Metro Police officer was heard telling the parents as they waited at a nearby church for updates.
Neighbors of the school watched as parents frantically rushed to the scene to find their children.
‘Everyone as a parent are terrified.
A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville
Terrified children hold hands as they leave The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three children, before being shot dead by police
A woman holds her young child after a school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday. Three children were killed by the woman
Terrified parents wait for their kids at The Covenant School in Nashville. The woman was killed by police
Parents rushed to the scene to collect their children after the incident on Monday morning
Children pour out of The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday
Metro Nashville Police officers gather near The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., following a deadly shooting Monday, March 27, 2023
‘You don’t send you kid to school thinking there would be an active shooting, especially in this area.
‘Just hearing as a parent myself it’s truly overwhelming. Seeing all the parents run up the hill to see if their children are okay,’ Lisa Debusk told DailyMail.com.
There are around 33 staff members in the school and some 210 students.
Many of those students were seen running from the building today in their school uniforms after the shooting began.
Other schools in the area have gone into lockdown as a precaution, but there is not thought to be any additional threat.
Parents are now gathering at a church next to the school. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn was among the first to share her condolences.
‘Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.
‘My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist.
Parents gather in the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville on Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three students
At the National League of Cities conference on Monday, First Lady Jill Biden said: ‘I am truly without words. Our children deserve better. We stand with Nashville in prayer’
‘Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.’
Sen. Bill Haggerty tweeted: ‘Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School.
‘I’m grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions.’
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted: ‘I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant…as we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community.’
At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the shooting was proof the ongoing need for stricter gun reform.
First Lady Jill Biden, speaking at the National League of Cities conference on Monday, told the crowd: ‘We just learned about another shooting in Tennessee – a school shooting.
‘I am truly without words. Our children deserve better. We stand with Nashville in prayer.’
Monday’s shooting is the 129th shooting this year.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk