Bodycam footage of officers following school shooting in Nashville released by police

The US city of Nashville police released bodycam footage of officers entering the school where a shooting took place yesterday. They can be seen searching the classrooms and corridors of the school and eventually take out the 28-year-old gunman.

The gunman killed was a former student of the school, Audrey Hale. Three 9-year-old children and three adults – the headmaster, a security guard and a substitute teacher – were killed in the shooting.

The images show how the officers, five in total, enter the school with heavy weapons. The images come from the bodycams of Agents Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo. When Engelbert is handed the keys to the building by a man outside the school, he shouts “let’s go, let’s go” to his colleagues.

The men search the classrooms one by one. After a few minutes, gunshots are heard. “It sounds like it’s coming from above,” says one of the officers.

The quintet runs at a rapid pace through the stairwell to the sound of the shots. The shooter appears to be hiding behind furniture in a wide hallway near a large window. One of the agents shouts “reloading!” (reloads) after which Officer Engelbert immediately fires four shots at Hale. It falls to the ground, but it is unclear whether it is disabled.

The officers walk towards Hale lying on the ground and Officer Collazo fires four more shots. Collazo then reports on his walkie-talkie that the suspect has been knocked out and takes the guns away from Hale.

The mayor of Nashville, among others, praised the brave action of the officers. According to a police spokesman, there were 14 minutes between the call to 911 and the shooting of the shooter.

According to Chief Constable John Drake, Hale had purchased seven firearms in recent years and hid them from his parents. The guns were all purchased legally. Hale allegedly used two semi-automatic weapons and a handgun in the attack on the school. The officers also found a detailed map of the school with his belongings.

Police have not yet said anything about a motive. A police spokesperson says it is likely that the school itself was the target and not specific individuals.

Chief Constable Drake has previously said that Hale self-identifies as trans. Yesterday, the commissioner used female pronouns for the shooter. On a personal Linkedin page, Hale himself would use masculine pronouns.

Of school shooting in Nashville is the deadliest in the US since the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last May. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed. After the shooting, there was a lot of criticism of the police’s actions. Agents would have intervened much too late, allowing the shooter to do his thing for a long time.

President Biden called again today for a reform of gun laws in the US. “I have done everything in my power. Congress must act now. The majority of Americans oppose the possession of automatic weapons. I think Congress should prohibit this.”