Audrey Hale, the 28-year-old suspect who killed six people, including three children, in a mass shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, had previously been under mental health treatment, according to police chief John Drake. The shooter, also a former student of The Covenant School, was killed by police at the scene. The motive of the attack remains unclear, but Hale was not believed to be targeting anyone specifically at the school.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Council Member Russ Pulley organized a candlelight vigil to mourn and honor the victims and lift up survivors and families of The Covenant School. The vigil was attended by several artists, including Sheryl Crow, Margo Price, and Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor, all of whom have been vocal on the issue of gun violence. Crow specifically called for "sensible gun laws" in the wake of the shooting. Additionally, a photograph of pediatric surgeon Dr. Britney Grayson with students in the classroom just hours before the shooting has since gone viral.

Hale had bought seven guns from five different stores in the last few years ahead of the attack and had repeatedly trained at local gun ranges before the mass shooting, according to WSMV4 Investigates. Her parents were said to be against her owning weapons.