Need Answers to TN Christian School Shooting?

Incident Summary:

1. On March 2, 2023, the Governor of Tennessee signed into law a bill banning transgender procedures for children. Then, on March 27, 2023, a self-identified trans adult killed three children and three school staff members at the Covenant Christian Elementary School. 

2. Contradicting reports of how the shooter entered the building:some reports say the shooter shot through a door to gain entry; other reports say the shooter entered through an unlocked door to the church and walked into the school through a hallway from the church to the school area of the building. 

3. It appears the shooter shot out the door to gain entry into the school. Further supporting the need for bullet-proof glass, doors, and walls in our schools. Fortified buildings are needed, but we must remember that the students are not only kept inside the building. We must have solutions for the times our students are arriving at school, leaving school, and going outside for recess or outdoor learning.  

4. The shooter had surveillance maps of the school prior to the shooting.

5. Police reports indicate that the call of an active shooter at the Covenant School came in at 10:13 AM. At 10:27 AM the suspected shooter is pronounced dead.

6. Interview with the Nashville PD Chief, John Drake revealed:

1. There is no evidence the shooter was targeting anyone.

2. The manifesto talked of maps and other schools.

3. Police believe the “suspect” (Seriously ?, the suspect?) had some training to shoot.

4. The shooter had sought mental health treatment.

5. When asked directly, he maintains that a motive has not yet been determined.

6. The shooter had legally purchased 7 firearms from five different, local, gun stores. The shooter used three of these guns in the shooting.

7. News reports indicated that the pastor’s daughter, and youngest of his four children, was the main target. The daughter, Hallie Scruggs, is one of the named victims. The pastor, Chad Scruggs, has been the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian since 2018. And, the pastor of the church had been counseling the shooter.

8. The shooter was identified as a “woman who identifies as trans” by Police in their Press Conference. Then they said there was no history of mental illness. 

Threat/Risk Landscape Increases to Christian Community

CEN Security Consultant, Mori Fernandez, with decades experience in high profile security incident prevention and mitigation, says the threat/risk landscape for the Christian community has increased because:

• The core beliefs of Christian schools/churches are contrary to transgender beliefs. 

• The shooter is being hailed as a hero on social media encouraging further attacks on the Christian community at large. 

• There was a universal call for ‘Christian Vengeance’ where a whole weekend was planned by the gender community in Washington, DC. 

• There have been other citywide calls for attacks against Christians in the mainstream media which are escalating nationwide. 

• There are often copycat shootings after shootings like this where a lot of media attention has focused upon the incident.

• The General Public is now more aware most Christian schools and churches DO NOT have a security plan in place which include simple deterrents such as: bullet proof doors and windows; onsite security personnel; protocols which keep doors locked appropriately! 

CEN Consultants and subject matter experts are conducting research on Lessons Learned from the Covenant Christian School incident to bring to the Christian community to become more aware of threat/risks and to augment CEN’s ReadyChristian/Church/City/School training with current timely actionable information and resources, and to be ready to give an answer for the Hope within should a tragedy like this occur again.

CONTACT US to add to this list of questions in the subject line you would like our CEN Consultants to answer? 

CONTACT US  to know when CEN’s Covenant Christian School Lessons Learned Report is available for download.

What are the Questions Begging Answers?

• What was the Media Response?

• What was the Dark Web Response?

• What was the Police Response?

• What was the School Staff Response?

• What was the Christian Community Ministry Response?

• What was the Government Response?

• What were the Inflammatory Actions post incident?

• Why was that School targeted?

• Who classifies AS Mental Illness?

• What should be the Christian Response to Inflammatory actions?

• Why do Christian schools/churches need Bullet Proof 

Doors/Windows and Locked Doors?

• Who should be Christian spokesperson to push back on hateful rhetoric? 

• When should the shooter motive be released? (manifesto)

• Was this a domestic terrorism incident?

• Was this a hate crime?

• Why was the Nashville shooter situation mitigated more quickly than Uvalde?

What other questions should Christians be asking and to whom?