The State of Tennessee provides this content free of charge as a public service. Three adults and three children were killed in a mass shooting Monday morning at the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville. The suspected woman was killed during a dispute with the police. A 28-year-old Nashville suspect, who is white, entered the side door armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, said Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron.

“I literally burst into tears seeing the kids being led out of the building,” said MNPD Superintendent John Drake. “It could have been worse,” he continued. “My heart and prayers are with the families of the six tragically injured.”

A total of seven people, including the shooter, were confirmed dead, Aaron said. The tragic incident marks the 129th mass shooting in the United States of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun violence data. At the scene of one of the deadliest school shootings in Tennessee history, dozens of parents and bystanders gathered as helicopters circled the area, surrounded by residential and commercial areas.

“The police department responded quickly,” Aaron said. “Officers entered the first floor of the school and began clearing. They heard gunshots coming from the second floor; they immediately went to open fire.” The suspect was shot by two of the five-member police team in the second-floor lobby at around 10:27 a.m. kill.

Drake said the 28-year-old had been a student at the school. The children were evacuated to wooded areas and a fire station when shots were fired. All the doors are locked, Drake said. However, it is unclear how she gained access to the building.

Nashville District Attorney Glen Fink said the investigation is still ongoing. “While I cannot comment on the ongoing investigation, I am impressed with the work law enforcement has done,” Fink said. “When schoolchildren and caregivers are victims of senseless gun violence, it’s the ultimate crime,” Fink said.