Nashville Mayor John Cooper praised the police for their swift and brave response to the shooting at the Covenant School that occurred on Monday. In the incident, a 28-year-old shooter, identified by police as a former student, killed three 9-year-old children and three adults.
Cooper told CNN that “This is our worst day, but it could have been worse without this brave response. So we're very grateful for that.” Five officers initially responded to the call and confronted the shooter. Two officers opened fire, killing the shooter.
The mayor expects the police to release more information about the shooting, including the possible release of officers' body cam footage and details about the shooter's writings recovered by investigators. Cooper stated, “They found a lot of documents. This was clearly planned,” and added that “numerous sites were investigated.”
While acknowledging that it may take some time for people to understand the shooter's motives, Cooper emphasized the importance of questioning why there are so few restrictions on guns, particularly assault-level type guns. He also stressed the need to be careful about the mental health and access to guns issue in America.
Cooper stated that the public cannot tolerate the deaths of children due to guns, and “Nashville joins now a long list of where there are school shootings, where our kids are targeted.” He also noted that no Metro Nashville Police officers or school resource officers were stationed at the school, as it is a private institution with its own security measures.
The mayor praised the Covenant School's response to the tragedy, saying, “It seems to me that they really will probably be congratulated on how good they were.” Cooper expressed his condolences to the victims' families and stated that the city is grieving with them.
The shooting has once again raised concerns about gun control in America, particularly in the wake of similar incidents in the past. The tragedy highlights the urgent need for lawmakers to take action to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
