Here’s the official police timeline of The Covenant School shooting and initial investigation

By Ray Sanchez, CNN

(CNN) — The former student who shot and killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville in 2023 meticulously researched and planned the violent act for years, says a summary of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s investigation.

Investigators pored over sketches and writings on thousands of pages of notebooks, Facebook and Instagram accounts, video tapes, digital devices and other items left behind by Audrey Hale, 28, who was gunned down by police shortly after the carnage on March 27, 2023. During their two-year investigation, they also examined medical and psychological records to show how Hale managed to manipulate her parents and therapists, concealing the extent of her mental health problems while preparing for the attack.

“The amount of information Hale left behind was far more than is usually available in a criminal investigation,” their report said. “Considering the materials she left behind spanned several years, detectives were offered an opportunity to examine Hale’s life in far more detail than many other offenders.”

While the killer “identified as a male and used he/him as preferred pronouns,” Nashville police said, “Under Tennessee law, a person’s gender identity must correspond with their biological sex or with information present on their certificate of live birth.” As a result, authorities described Hale – who also “used he/him as preferred pronouns” on social media – as a female in their report.

Here is the official police timeline of the attack and start of the investigation:

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