One of the children who was killed in the Nashville school shooting Monday morning is the daughter of a pastor who has ties to a Presbyterian church in Dallas, according to media reports.
Six people — three children and three adults — were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., a Presbyterian Christian school.
The children, all of whom were 9 years old, have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61; were also killed in the school shooting. The shooter, who was killed by police, has been identified as Audrey Hale, reports The Associated Press.
Park Cities Presbyterian Church pictured in Dallas, Thursday, June 2, 2022.
Park Cities Presbyterian Church pictured in Dallas, Thursday, June 2, 2022.(Elias Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
The father of one of the children, Chad Scruggs, served as an associate pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, according to a post on the church’s Facebook page. The Dallas church announced on Facebook that it is holding a prayer at noon Tuesday because of the “many deep and dear connections” to the Nashville church.
Park Cities Presbyterian Church officials told WFAA-TV (Channel 8) that Hallie is Chad Scruggs’ daughter.
Scruggs started working at Covenant Presbyterian Church, which the school is part of, in September 2018, according to his Facebook page.
Hale, who is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School, used multiple firearms, including an “assault-style” rifle, during the shooting, according to the AP, which also reported that she had detailed maps of the school prior.
President Joe Biden on Monday again called for a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons in response to the school shooting in Nashville. He made similar calls for gun reform in May 2022, when 19 children and two adults were killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Last week, a student at Lamar High School in Arlington was fatally shot at the campus by one of his peers.
