Three Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers remain on administrative assignment as the agency investigates the leak of three photographs showing manifesto pages written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the Covenant School killer, which conservative comedian and commentator Steven Crowder published in November, according to a Tuesday report.
The police department confirmed three officers remain on administrative assignment to Fox 17, which reported that an additional four officers returned to their normal duties in mid-November. MNPD confirmed seven officers were placed on administrative assignment on November 7.
Police originally stated that the officers were placed on administrative leave to protect the investigation into who leaked the documents, and the outlet reported that MNPD reiterated this claim for its report.
The documents revealed Hale, a biological woman who identified as a transgender male, wrote racist things about Christian children prior to fatally shooting six people at the Covenant School in March. Hale’s victims include three 9-year-old students and three staff members.
A comment request from The Tennessee Star to MNPD spokesman Don Aaron, which sought to confirm that three officers remain on administrative assignment and ascertain the status of the investigation, was not returned by press time.
Crowder claimed his source was not among the officers placed on administrative assignment by MNPD, declaring the agency “messed up” by identifying the wrong suspects. He asserted their investigation was meant “to intimidate whistleblowers into silence.”
Before police officially acknowledged the authenticity of the photographs Crowder published, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell ordered the investigation into how the documents were released. The Star was among the first outlets to independently verify the photos published by Crowder are Hale’s writings.
The “Louder with Crowder” host previously indicated there are two sources behind the leak of materials that he published. According to Crowder, one of the two sources is a law enforcement member who was at the scene of Hale’s crimes. Chief John Drake told The Star the pages leaked “outside of law enforcement” before Crowder confirmed the provenance of the photos.
Star News Digital Media Inc., which owns and operates The Star, is a plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit seeking to compel the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to release Hale’s manifesto to the public.
Following the leak, Star News Digital Media Inc. filed motions seeking to compel the FBI to officially identify the pages as part of Hale’s manifesto, as the agency previously claimed that releasing even one page of Hale’s manifesto could jeopardize ongoing investigations due to individuals named within the pages. The only individual named in the three pages released by Crowder appears to be Hale’s grandmother.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Covenant School” by Metro Nashville PD.
Right Rocky!
And whoever has not released them has made a wrong decision IN VIOLATION of the Tennessee Open Records Law.
Whoever leaked the manifesto, you did the right thing.
Sounds about right. Punish the police and protect transgenders at all costs.