On the morning of March 27, 2023, Katherine Koonce, 60, was killed while trying to protect students at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville. Koonce was on a Zoom call at 10:13 a.m. when she heard gunfire, ended the call, and ran toward the danger. She, two other staff members, and three nine-year-old students were slain in a calculated mass shooting.

The attacker was identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old former student who legally purchased seven firearms, carried two assault-style rifles and a handgun, shot through the glass doors to enter, and fired 152 rounds during the assault. Officers engaged Hale on the second floor; Hale was fatally shot in the exchange. Investigators concluded Hale acted alone and was motivated by a desire for notoriety.

Victims families sought to block public release of Hale’s journals and writings; Hale’s parents transferred ownership of those documents to the families, and a judge later sided with the families to keep them sealed. Anyone who knew Katherine Koonce or was at The Covenant School that day and has information is asked to come forward.