Chilling Audio Reveals Moment Nashville School Shooter Audrey Hale's Old Classmate Called 911 To Report 'Very Weird Instagram Message'
March 30 2023, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Before Audrey Hale opened fire at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, and killed six people, one of her former classmates contacted emergency services about a "weird Instagram message" that she received from the shooter, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Averianna Patton went to middle school with Hale, 28, who identified as transgender, and feared Audrey was going to harm herself — and now, audio of that phone conservation has been released to the public.
After Hale sent a direct message to Patton, saying she was "planning to die today," Audrey's old classmate quickly called the Suicide Prevention Hotline to see how she could help.
"I received a very, very weird message from my friend on Instagram. I think it was like a suicidal thing," Patton was heard in the audio clip, released by local news station Fox 17. "I called the suicide hotline and they told me to call the sheriff's department and the sheriff's department told me to call you guys."
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Patton asked if emergency services could perform a welfare check on the 28-year-old.
"I'm just trying to see can anybody…. I don't want it on my conscience if somebody can go check on her," Patton told the dispatch operator.
When Patton failed to provide an address, and was only able to give Hale's Instagram handle, the operator told her, "we can't send anything out without an address."
Emergency services said the call was received at 10:21 AM, which was the same time officers were responding to a shooting at the private Christian school. As RadarOnline.com reported, Hale entered the building at 10:13 AM, just after sending the distressing message to her former classmate.
Three nine-year-old students at the school, Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and the lead pastor's daughter, Hallie Scruggs, lost their lives on Monday.
Three adults, including the head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and custodian Mike Hill, 61, were also fatally shot by the suspect.
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After responding officers shot and killed Hale, it was discovered that she had three guns on her, including an AR-15-style rifle.
Hale's devoutly religious parents allegedly did not accept that Audrey identified as transgender — and believed their child only owned one gun, which they thought was sold.
In reality, Hale hid a stockpile of weapons at their house. Before the shooting, Audrey had undergone treatment for an emotional disorder and was meeting with Pastor Scruggs of The Covenant School for counseling sessions.
