At least 3 children and 3 adults killed in Nashville elementary school shooting

By Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury, Zoe Sottile, Amir Vera, Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Melissa Macaya and Helen Regan, CNN

Updated 7:18 a.m. ET, March 28, 2023
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9:36 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

There have been at least 130 mass shooting in the US this year

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

A group prays with a child outside the reunification center at the Woodmont Baptist church after a school shooting on Monday, in Nashville, Tennessee.
A group prays with a child outside the reunification center at the Woodmont Baptist church after a school shooting on Monday, in Nashville, Tennessee. (John Bazemore/AP)

Following Monday morning's shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, is there have been at least 130 mass shooting in the US so far in 2023, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

The Gun Violence Archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter. 

Three students and three adults were killed at the Covenant School. The shooter, who was identified as a 28-year-old Nashville woman, was also killed in a shootout with police.

Last year, the US hit 100 mass shootings on March 19, per the GVA. The previous year, 2021, saw a late March date as well. From 2018 to 2020, the country didn't reach 100 mass shootings until May.

This post has updated with the latest figures from the Gun Violence Archive.

2:01 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

President Biden has been briefed on Nashville shooting

From CNN's MJ Lee

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the Nashville school shooting, according to a White House official.

At least three children and three adults were killed, police said. Several agencies are responding.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration is in contact with the Justice Department and local officials about the ongoing investigation. The president also wants to express his appreciation for first responders, she said.

While officials don't yet know all of the details about what happened, "we know that too often our schools and communities are being devastated by gun violence," Jean-Pierre said.

“Schools should be safe spaces for our kids to grow and learn and for our educators to teach," she added.

2:15 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

Shooter's connection to Nashville school is unclear, police say

Police officers stand guard at the entrance of Covenant School in Nashville on Monday.
Police officers stand guard at the entrance of Covenant School in Nashville on Monday. (Kevin Wurm/Reuters)

Officials do not yet know the identity of the shooter who killed at least six at a Nashville private school on Monday morning.

Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department said that police are still working to identify the shooter, who was fatally shot by police.

"We do not know who she is," he told reporters at a press conference.

He said that they do not yet know whether she had any connection to the school, although she "appeared" to be a teenager. Police later identified the shooter as a 28-year-old Nashville woman.

4:21 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

At least 3 children and 3 adults killed in Nashville school shooting, police say

An ambulance leaves the Covenant School, in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.
An ambulance leaves the Covenant School, in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday. (John Amis/AP)

At least three students and three adults are dead following a shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, police said Monday.

"We now know that there are three students who were fatally wounded as well as three adults inside the school. We are working to identify those victims. Including the shooter, a total of seven persons were killed as a result of this morning's incident at the school," Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department said.

Five of the six shooting victims were transported, Aaron said. All those who were shot are dead, he added.

"Three students who were shot are deceased. Three staff members who were shot are deceased," Aaron told reporters.

Watch here:

2:15 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

Shooter was a female armed with multiple guns, police say

The shooter who opened fire at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, was a female, according to police.

Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a news conference Monday that the shooter "appears to be in her teens," but her identification has "not been confirmed."

Police later identified the shooter as a 28-year-old Nashville woman.

Aaron said that officers arriving to the scene encountered "a female who was firing."

Two responding officers opened fire on the shooter and she was fatally shot, Aaron said.

She was armed with at least two "assault-type" rifles and a handgun, Aaron added.

1:29 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

Officers confronted shooter on the second floor of the building, police say

Don Aaron, spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said police arrived quickly to a call of an active shooter at the Covenant School Monday.

Aaron, speaking at a news conference a few hours after the shooting, said the first calls came in at around 10:15 a.m. local time.

When officers arrived, they went through the first level of the building first, he said.

They then heard gunshots coming from the second level of the building, according to Aaron. He said that's where police encountered the shooter, who he described as a female teenager.

Officers shot the shooter, Aaron said.

1:47 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

NOW: Officials give update on Covenant School shooting in Nashville

The Nashville Metro Police are giving an update on the shooting at the Covenant School.

Police said in a tweet earlier Monday that the shooter is dead.

1:09 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

At least 3 children killed in Nashville school shooting, hospital tells CNN affiliates

From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson

At least three students are dead from gunshot wounds suffered at the Covenant School in Nashville, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt tells CNN affiliates, WTVFWZTV

All three of the students were pronounced dead after arrival at the hospital. 

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed the shooter was dead earlier.

1:16 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023

Tennessee governor monitoring response to shooting at Nashville school

From CNN staff

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is monitoring the situation at the Covenant School in Nashville after an active shooting killed at least three children Monday.

The governor said in a tweet that the Tennessee Department of Safety and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are both assisting other agencies on the scene. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also said it is helping.

"As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community," the tweet said.

The school teaches kids from preschool through 6th grade, according to its website.

See the governor's tweet: