Audrey Hale Claimed She Planned Covenant Attack for Five Years in Recovered Journal, Plan ‘Near Perfection’

Audrey Hale

Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale wrote in a journal recovered from her vehicle that she planned her attack for five years and prepared meticulously until her devastating plot was “near perfection.”

The Tennessee Star reported on Wednesday it obtained dozens of pages of Hale’s writings which police recovered from her vehicle from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation. 

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MNPD Learned on Day of Covenant Shooting Audrey Hale Had Been Treated by Vanderbilt Psychiatric for 22 Years from 2001 Until Her 2023 Death

Covenant School Shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale

Metro Nashville Police Department learned Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was a 22-year patient of mental health professionals at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) on March 27, 2023, the same day she orchestrated her devastating attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults working at the school.

The Tennessee Star obtained the June 1, 2023 affidavit filed by an MNPD detective to obtain a search warrant for VUMC from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation.

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Vanderbilt Search Warrant Revealed Prescription List for Covenant Killer Audrey Hale, Confirms Fantasies About School Shooting

Audrey Hale

The search warrant served by Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to obtain information from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) about Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, obtained by The Tennessee Star, reveals Hale was prescribed at least four medications from VUMC staff.

According to notes taken by a person who reviewed documents obtained when the search warrant was executed, Hale was given access to Buspirone, Lexapro or Escitalopram, Hydroxyzine, and a sodium chloride nasal spray by doctors at VUMC.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Claimed She ‘Could Have Been Caught’ Preparing for Shooting in ‘Summer of 2021’

Audrey Hale

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the Covenant School killer, wrote in a journal recovered from her vehicle that she “could have been caught” planning her attack in 2021.

The Tennessee Star on Wednesday confirmed it obtained dozens of pages from the notebook recovered from Hale’s vehicle at the Covenant School from a source familiar with the case.

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Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale Wrote ‘I Need a Trans Doctor’ 19 Days Before Attack

Doctor

Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale declared her “need” for a “trans doctor” in a journal or diary entry dated just 19 days before she orchestrated the horrific attack on the Covenant School on March 27, 2023.

The Tennessee Star confirmed on Wednesday that it has obtained nearly four dozen pages of handwritten writings by Hale that were recovered from her vehicle. One of the pages includes an illustrated version of the name Aiden, which is the name Hale used when identifying as a transgender man.

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Report: Covenant School Shooter Fantasized About School Shootings as Middle Schooler

Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale had been having fantasies of carrying out school shootings ever since she was a middle schooler, 99.7 WTN afternoon radio host Brian Wilson reported Wednesday.

Wilson revealed a number of other previously unknown details about Hale referencing a “lengthy” document he obtained regarding her and the shooting. He said he had more details he would reveal Thursday.

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FBI Memo on ‘Protection of Legacy Tokens’ Sent to Nashville Police in May 2023 Opposed Release of Covenant Killer Documents, Cited Destruction Precedent

The Tennessee Star has obtained the FBI memo sent to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on May 11, 2023 from a source familiar with the Covenant killer investigation.

The letterhead and heading used for the memo indicate it originated at the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group in Quantico, Virginia. The opening paragraphs reveal it was sent by the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC), the home of the FBI’s Behavorial Analysis Unit (BAU-1). The memo was not signed.

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Psychologist Who Treated Covenant School Killer Audrey Hale Referred Patient to Vanderbilt After Violent Fantasies, Retired MNPD Officer Claims

Audrey Hale

A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the psychologist who treated Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale referred her patient to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for treatment and involuntary commitment after Hale expressed violent fantasies.

Retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who recently filed a 61-page complaint against the department and claimed the FBI told MNPD not to release documents from the Covenant investigation, revealed the information to The Tennessee Star editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy.

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Retired MNPD Lt. Garet Davidson Claims FBI Told Nashville Police Not to Release Documents from Covenant School Killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale Investigation, Pointed to Precedent for Document Destruction

A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) lieutenant told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the FBI sent a memo to Police Chief John Drake in May of 2023, two months after Audrey Elizabeth Hale killed three students and three staff members at the Covenant School, instructing the department not to release certain materials from the Covenant School shooting investigation and instead pointed out to the MNPD the precedent for destroying such documents.

The information was divulged to Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, by recently retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who filed the recent 61-page complaint against the department and made other claims about the status of the investigation of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale to 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson.

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Psychologist Who Allegedly Failed to Report Violent Threats from Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Identified, Claims Practice Closed in 2022

Audrey Elizabeth Hale

A source provided The Tennessee Star with the name of the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale. That psychologist allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement after Hale purportedly expressed fantasies about murdering her family members and carrying out a school shooting while under treatment.

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Psychologist Who Allegedly Failed to Report Violent Threats from Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Identified, Claims Practice Closed in 2022

Audrey Elizabeth Hale

A source provided The Tennessee Star with the name of the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale. That psychologist allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement after Hale purportedly expressed fantasies about murdering her family members and carrying out a school shooting while under treatment.

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MNPD Silent on Allegation that Police Searched Practitioner’s Home, Office in Covenant Investigation

Metro Nashville Police Department declined to comment on allegations by a recently retired MNPD officer who claimed police searched the home and office of a “practitioner” involved in the Covenant shooting investigation.

Former Lieutenant Garet Davidson is skeptical the Covenant shooting investigation is still “active, open, and actually being worked” despite MNPD’s claim that the investigation is open, he said in an interview with 99.7 WTN host Brian Wilson on his afternoon drive radio show.

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Arrest of Transgender Former Student Who Allegedly Threatened Nashville’s Christ Presbyterian Academy Raises Troubling Parallels to Covenant Killer

McKenzie McClure, Audrey Elizabeth Hale

The recent arrest of McKenzie McClure, the biological female and former Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) student federal authorities accused of cyberstalking following alleged threats to CPA in Nashville, shares concerning similarities with the circumstances which preceded the tragic Covenant School shootings by Audrey Elizabeth Hale last year in which the former Covenant School student killed 3 students and 3 staff members before she, in turn, was killed by Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers.

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Transgender Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking Was Previously Charged with Domestic Assault in 2022

McKenzie McClure

A transgender alleged cyberstalker who caused a Nashville Christian school to close for a day in March after sending a disconcerting message was previously charged with domestic assault, according to court records.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was charged twice with domestic assault according to Williamson County public court records. The records list the “violation date” on each charge as August 21, 2022.

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Metro Nashville Police Says It Did Not Interview Alleged Cyberstalker McKenzie McClure

McKenzie McClure

The Metro Nashville Police Department told The Tennessee Star it did not interview an alleged cyberstalker now in federal custody who left a concerning message for Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in March that caused the school to close for one day.

McKenzie McClure, a self-identified “trans man” also known as Kalvin McClure or Kalvin Mikoledes, was arrested on suspicion of cyberstalking by federal agents on April 29 for the message she left for CPA and her social media activity where she made several concerning posts about CPA and threatened Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and his wife Maria Lee. McClure is still in federal custody.

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Days After Threatening Governor Bill Lee and His Wife, Former Christ Presbyterian Academy Student Who Now Identifies as Male Arrested on Cyberstalking Charge

McKenzie McClure on CPA Campus

A former student of Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville was arrested on suspicion of cyberstalking days after possibly making a public threat toward Governor Bill Lee and his wife Maria Lee.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was arrested by federal agents after they observed troubling social media activity and McClure left a concerning voicemail to CPA on March 24, 2024, that caused two schools to shut down the following day.

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DOJ Confirms Person Who Sent ‘Disconcerting’ Message to Christian School Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking

Christ Presbyterian Academy

An individual who sent a message causing a Nashville private Christian school to close back in March was arrested for alleged cyberstalking, according to court documents. The person also appears to identify as a member of the LGBTQ community.

On March 24, days before the anniversary of the Covenant School shooting, Christ Presbyterian Academy received a message containing “disconcerting language towards the safety of our campus,” school officials said in an email to parents at the time, WSMV reported. CPA and neighboring Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood closed the next day due to safety concerns. 

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Transgender Teen Arrested for Planning Mass Shooting at Maryland High School, Police Seize Manifesto

Alex Ye

Police in Maryland confirmed on Friday that a transgender high school student was arrested after they claim she wrote a 129-page manifesto that included plans for at least two school shootings.

The Rockville Police Department (RPD) confirmed the Thursday arrest of Andrea Ye, who identifies as a transgender man, after a friend went to police with concerns over Ye’s manifesto.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: As a Plaintiff in Covenant Manifesto Case, I Want All Documents Released, Not Just the Killer’s Writings Recovered from Vehicle

Michael Patrick Leahy, editor-in-chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star, said as a plaintiff in the case seeking to compel the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to release the manifesto left behind by the Covenant School shooter, he believes the the full manifesto should be released – not just the “documents in the car” found on the day of the shooting which Metro Legal suggests would satisfy the plaintiffs in the case.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: New Covenant Killer Investigation Revelation That ‘There Was a Failure to Report’ and ‘Massive Failure of the Mental Health System’ of ‘Epic Proportions’ Highlights Public Interest in Release of Documents

Michael Patrick Leahy, editor-in-chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star, dissected a critical revelation in the case of The Covenant School shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who took six lives last year at the Nashville school.

Hale, who identified as transgender, shot and killed three adults and three students at The Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, 2023.

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Nashville Police Captain to Host Covenant Shooting ‘Webinar’ Featuring ‘Review’ of ‘Factors’ Preceding School Shooting

Steven Bowers

A police captain with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is slated to hold a “webinar” for law enforcement to discuss the “lessons learned” from the Covenant School shooting last year, including factors which potentially led Audrey Elizabeth Hale to commit her horrific crime.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) reveals Captain Steven Bowers “will provide an overview, review factors that may have contributed to the violence, and share lessons learned on effective prevention, response, and recovery strategies” learned in the aftermath the Covenant School shooting on March 27, 2023 in a “webinar” to be held on February 29.

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Judge Overseeing Case to Release Covenant Killer Manifesto Warns of Contempt If Parties ‘Usurp’ Sealed Materials

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles on Tuesday filed an order in the ongoing case seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by the Covenant School killer that warns all involved in the multi-plaintiff lawsuit that they could be sanctioned or held in contempt if they “usurp” materials submitted to her for review.

Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to compel law enforcement to release the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who reportedly identified as a transgender man before she was fatally shot by police.

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New Court Filing Claims Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale Possibly Motivated by Alleged Child Abuse Coverup

A motion to intervene filed on Monday in the court case seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale claims the shooter’s motivation for committing the attack may stem from an alleged child abuse coverup at the school.

The motion was filed by Austin Davis, who claimed in a signed affidavit to be “a former Covenant Presbyterian deacon and church member, and a former Covenant School father” who also purports to be a “child sex abuse whistleblower.” The Tennessee man claimed to face retaliation for the claims he made against the school.

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Jacksonville Sheriff Released Racist Manifesto Just Six Months After Shooting, Suicide

TK Waters

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters released in January the manifesto written by Ryan Palmeter, who fatally shot three people in a racially motivated attack that happened last August at a Dollar General in Florida last year before turning the gun on himself.

The manifesto was released following the completion of an investigation into the circumstances that led to the shooting by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department.

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Tennessee Judge to Consider Releasing List of Seized Items from Covenant School Shooter, May Set Court Date for Manifesto Release Hearing

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles set a court date last Friday for this week, during which she will hear motions regarding the possible release of a list of documents written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale and to determine a future hearing to decide whether she will release Hale’s manifesto to the public.

Myles will hear two motions this Friday, reported WSMV on Saturday, including a motion regarding the release of “a list detailing the documents” written by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender male before she fatally shot three six-year-olds and three staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, which were “turned over to the judge for her private viewing” last year.

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Tennessee State Rep. Gino Bulso Files Bill to Compel Release of Covenant Killer Manifesto

Tennessee State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) filed HB 1653 on Monday to compel Tennessee law enforcement to release materials and evidence related to the Covenant School shooting, including the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who fatally shot three 9-year-old students and three faculty at the school in March 2023.

Bulso’s bill would require “all state and local law enforcement” to comply with a request from any member of the Tennessee General Assembly seeking “a copy of all records collected by the agency, including, but not limited to, all writings and medical, toxicology, and other reports, of a perpetrator involved in a school shooting incident that occurred at a public or private school in this state in March of 2023.”

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Metro Nashville Police Unable to Find Source of Covenant Killer Manifesto Leak, but Reveals How Photos Were Taken

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief John Drake said in an official announcement on Friday that the department had “exhausted” its investigative options to discover the identity of the law enforcement professional who leaked images of the manifesto written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, leading to their publication.

Drake announced in the media release that his department “has exhausted all available investigative avenues” to identify the person who leaked the images, but offered new information about how the images were taken, and revealed that a former MNPD detective has opted against cooperating with his former employers’ investigation.

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Three Metro Nashville Police Officers Remain on Administrative Assignment over Leak of Covenant Killer Manifesto: Report

Three Metro Nashville Police (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 were published by conservative comedian and commentator Steven Crowder 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.

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Tennessee Appeals Court Rules Covenant Parents May Intervene in Lawsuit Seeking Audrey Hale Manifesto

The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in Nashville on Thursday that a group of parents can intervene in the lawsuit seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the Covenant School killer, affirming a lower court’s ruling. The parents wish to prevent the manifesto’s release.

In a 17-page order released Thursday afternoon, the appeals court ruled to “affirm the trial court’s judgement allowing intervention,” and sent the case back to the Davidson County Chancery Court for further proceedings. That court’s previous decision to allow the parents to intervene prompted the appeal.

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Gov. Lee Will Not Ask Tennessee Lawmakers to Pass Red Flag Law in 2024

Governor Bill Lee (R) confirmed to reporters on Monday that he does not intend to ask the Tennessee General Assembly to pass red flag legislation during the upcoming legislative session, effectively abandoning the push he began in April.

Lee told reporters he would not ask legislators to pass a bill he previously proposed that would allow for judges to sign orders for authorities to confiscate the firearms of a person deemed to be at risk, otherwise known as a red flag law.

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Source of Covenant Killer Manifesto Not Among Seven Officers Placed on ‘Administrative Assignment’ by MNPD, Crowder Claims

The member of Nashville law enforcement who reportedly captured photographs of the manifesto written by Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was not among the seven Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers placed on “administrative assignment” by the department, conservative commentator Steven Crowder confirmed on Thursday. Crowder released three photographs showing pages from the manifesto on Monday.

In a clip from his podcast posted to social media, Crowder said MNPD “messed up” by apparently identifying the wrong officers. He clarified the source “is not one of the seven” put on administrative assignment, and said any reporting to the contrary was designed “to intimidate whistleblowers into silence.”

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Metro Nashville Police Department Confirms 7 Officers on ‘Administrative Assignment’ in Connection to Covenant Killer Manifesto

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed on Wednesday that seven of its officers have been placed on administrative assignment following the leak of at least three pages of Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto to conservative commentator and comedian Steven Crowder, who published them Monday.

Crowder initially reported the seven officers were placed on leave in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The powers that be are more concerned about finding the leaker than they are about the contents of Audrey Hale’s anti-white manifesto,” wrote Crowder.

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Star News Network Seeks to Compel FBI to Determine Authenticity of Covenant Killer Manifesto as Lawsuit Continues

Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network, filed a new motion on Tuesday to advance its ongoing lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which seeks to compel the full release of the manifesto written by Covenant school killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, after three manifesto pages were leaked on Monday.

In a motion prepared after a portion of Hale’s manifesto was obtained by conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder, Star News asserted the leak proves, “assuming the three pages’ authenticity,” that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “could have selectively released” redacted portions of the manifesto without jeopardizing ongoing investigations.

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MNPD Probes How Covenant Killer Manifesto Photos Leaked ‘Outside of Law Enforcement’

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) spokesman Don Aaron told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday the department is investigating how images of three pages from the manifesto written by Covenant school killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale “made their way outside of law enforcement” on Monday.

“The investigation is advancing,” Aaron told The Star when asked if MNPD could eliminate the possibility of the leaked documents coming from within the department. “We are continuing with the objective to ascertain exactly how these photographs made their way outside of law enforcement,” he explained.

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MNPD Chief John Drake Vows to Investigate Person Who Leaked ‘Three Pages of Writings from the Covenant Shooter’

Chief John Drake of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released a statement on Monday that confirmed “three pages of writings from the Covenant shooter,” Audrey Hale, were leaked to the public, and pledged to “identify the person responsible.”

In a statement posted to the Nashville government website, Drake said he was disturbed by the “unauthorized release” of pages written by Hale, and said his department is “extremely serious about the investigation” to determine the culprit. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell ordered an investigation into the release of the pages on Monday afternoon.

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Metro Nashville Police Department Stonewalls Authentication of Leaked Covenant Killer Documents, Claims Photos ‘Not MNPD Crime Scene Images’

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) acknowledged the leaked documents purported to be part of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale on Monday. Hale, who reportedly identified as a transgender male, fatally shot six at The Covenant School in 2022.

MNPD did not confirm nor deny the authenticity of the images in the statement, but acknowledged the department “is in communication” with the Metro Legal about the ongoing investigation “into the dissemination of three photographs of writings” shown by conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder on Monday morning. The department confirmed the “photographs are not MNPD crime scene images.”

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Orders Metro Legal to Investigate How Covenant Killer Documents Were Released

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell ordered an investigation from Metro Legal on Monday to determine how the photos of the manifesto written by The Covenant Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, which were authenticated by The Tennessee Star, were leaked to conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder.

O’Connell announced the investigation in a statement to News Channel 5, telling the outlet he directed Metro Law Director Wally Dietz “to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released.” At press time the Metro Nashville Police Department has acknowledged the documents, but has refused to comment on their authenticity or how Crowder may have obtained them.

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Sources Confirm Docs Leaked by Crowder Are Authentic Covenant Killer Writings, MNPD Investigating

Sources in the Tennessee General Assembly who were allowed to view the Covenant Killer Manifesto by the Metro Nashville Police Department have confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the documents released by Steven Crowder on Monday morning, which he purports to be part of Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto, are indeed part of the documents obtained by MNPD during their investigation, and were authentically written by Hale.

The independent confirmation of the manifesto comes after MNPD said it “has no idea” what the documents. The Star contacted MNPD again to confirm the documents are Hale’s original writings, but a spokesperson for the department said she did not know whether the documents were authentic.

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Metro Nashville Police Department ‘Has No Idea’ About Document Steven Crowder Purports to Be Covenant Killer Manifesto

A spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) told The Tennessee Star they have “no idea” about the document obtained by Steven Crowder and released on Monday, which he purports to be the actual manifesto of Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale.

They did not specifically address the authenticity of the purported document.

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