“Nashville shooter journals leak” : Leak of Covenant School Shooter’s Writings Still Unsolved, Police Admit

A month after writings connected to the suspect accused of shooting six people at a private Tennessee Christian school in March appeared online, police have admitted they do not know who leaked the documents. Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake revealed on Friday that investigators have exhausted all leads in identifying the person responsible for leaking photographs containing three pages of writings from the Covenant School shooter. The leak revealed pages from the shooter’s journals, which were taken by detectives at the scene of the March 27 school shooting.

During the horrifying incident, 28-year-old Audrey Hale shot six people, including three children, at the Covenant School. Hale gained entry by shooting through the glass of locked doors and was shot dead by Nashville police just minutes later. The victims were three 9-year-old students, Hallie Scrugg, Evelyn Dieckhaus, and William Kinney, as well as three staff members: Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill.

Police previously discovered multiple journals in Hale’s car and home, which they described as a “manifesto.” The writings detailed the date and the planned incident of the shooting. Additional material written by Hale was also found in a Honda Fit parked at the school’s campus.

Despite authorities denying the release of the writings to the public, three photographs of the journals were leaked last month to conservative media personality Steven Crowder, who posted them online. Crowder later stated that he did not regret posting the images, which contained hate-filled language targeting the school and a timeline of events.

The leak prompted an internal investigation, leading to several police officers being placed on administrative assignment. Drake confirmed that the cell phone photos were taken just after the journals were discovered in the shooter’s car. A former detective who possessed the images is no longer a member of law enforcement and declined an interview request. The case has been sent to the District Attorney’s Office for review.

Drake emphasized that the investigation did not identify any current MNPD employees or employees of partner agencies involved in the unauthorized release of the images. Those placed on administrative assignment during the investigation have now returned to their regular duties.