Nashville Shooter Audrey Hale's Christian Parents 'Couldn't Accept' She Was Transgender, Source Claims
Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale's parents could not accept that their daughter was transgender or gay, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Sources made the shocking accusation as law enforcement scrambles to uncover a motive for Monday's shooting that killed three 9-year-old students and three adults who worked at The Covenant School in Tennessee.
Hale was believed to be a former student of the private Christian school — and police alleged that she had plans to turn her firearms on her own relatives.
As the tragedy unfolded Monday morning at The Covenant School, more questions than answers were raised after yet another unthinkable loss of life targeted a new community. According to a source, both of Hale's parents, mother Norma, a church coordinator, and father Ronald, were devoutly religious.
Norma and Ronald allegedly "couldn't accept" their daughter identified as transgender and was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The source revealed the parents had strict rules for their daughter that suppressed her identity.
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The insider accused Hale's parents of not allowing their daughter to be called Aiden, which she had adopted before the shooting. They also allegedly wouldn't let Hale use he/him pronouns.
"You only see what you want to see. Their religion does not allow them to accept homosexuality," the source told the Daily Mail. The insider accused Hale's parents of forbidding their daughter to wear men's clothing.
"She was Audrey at home, but when she left the house, she changed clothes," the insider shared. "They did know about it, they just didn't accept it."
Neighbors from Hale's suburban community — where her parent have lived in their $700,000 home for over three decades — said they were unaware that the suspect had transitioned but recalled her being a "skater, tomboy type."
"She introduced herself about a year and a half ago as Audrey," one neighbor claimed. "I treated her like a female and she didn't correct me."
"She seemed artistic, quiet, and well-mannered," the neighbor added.
Police claimed Hale intended to attack her family members but was killed at the school by responding officers before she could.
"We've talked to the father and the mother. We searched the home and found two more weapons there and some more maps, pertaining to thinking about some other incidents," Chief John Drake said on Tuesday. "We strongly believe there were going to be some other targets, including family members, and one of the malls here in Nashville and it just did not happen."
Investigators and law enforcement officers have continued to search for clues to uncover a motive for the massacre.
It was discovered after the shooting that Hale had received treatment for emotional distress. It was also revealed that her family didn't believe she should own a firearm and were clueless about the seven guns she purchased from five local retailers before Monday's shooting.