Current:Home > FinanceFour of 7 officers returned to regular duty after leak of Nashville school shooting records -ProfitPioneers Hub
Four of 7 officers returned to regular duty after leak of Nashville school shooting records
View
Date:2025-04-12 19:10:02
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four of seven Nashville Police officers who had been put on administrative assignment following the leak of pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator have returned to regular duty, according to a police statement on Friday.
The officers had been placed on the administrative assignment to “protect the integrity” of the investigation into who leaked the documents, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said last week. He emphasized that the assignment is non-punitive. Police on Friday would not clarify whether the four officers who returned to regular duty have been cleared of any role in the leak.
The person who killed three 9-year-old children and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville this spring left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. The writings have been the object of intense speculation and an open records battle, with several groups suing to force Nashville officials to release them to the public.
Police initially said they intended to release the writings once they closed their investigation, which could take up to a year. Since then, a group of Covenant School parents have joined the lawsuit, arguing that none of the documents should ever be released. They say shooter Audrey Hale’s writings could traumatize their children and inspire copycats. The Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments last month over whether the parents have a right to intervene in the case but have not yet ruled.
The three children who were killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.
In the midst of the legal wrangling, someone slipped images of three of Hale’s journal pages to conservative commentator Stephen Crowder, who published them on Nov. 6. They include a detailed timeline for the March 27 shooting labeled “Death Day” and a slur-filled diatribe about kids who attend “private fancy schools,” although the 28-year-old Hale was a former Covenant student.
The public search to understand the shooting is complicated by that fact that Hale, who was assigned female at birth, seems to have begun identifying as a transgender man. That has prompted right-wing commentators, politicians and other figures to promote a theory that the shooting was a hate crime against Christians. The delay in releasing the writings has fueled speculation — particularly in conservative circles — regarding what the they might contain and conspiracy theories about why police won’t release them.
Police are investigating how Crowder got the journal pages. Nashville Law Director Wally Dietz has said in a news release that the journals are part of the criminal investigative file but that police had provided a copy to the Law Department to review what could be released under the Tennessee Public Records Act. Once the journals became the subject of a lawsuit, the Law Department filed copies under seal with the court. One was unredacted and one copy contained the proposed redactions. The pages that Crowder posted have a watermark on the lower right that says “redacted.”
veryGood! (72417)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- She left her 2007 iPhone in its box for over a decade. It just sold for $63K
- The TVA’s Slower Pace Toward Renewable Energy Weakens Nashville’s Future
- Get to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be Done
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Barney the purple dinosaur is coming back with a new show — and a new look
- Northwestern fires baseball coach amid misconduct allegations days after football coach dismissed over hazing scandal
- Louis Tomlinson Devastated After Concertgoers Are Hospitalized Amid Hailstorm
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- The Voice Announces 2 New Coaches for Season 25 in Surprise Twist
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- What to know about the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
- What we know about Rex Heuermann, suspect in Gilgo Beach murders that shook Long Island more than a decade ago
- Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Breaks Silence on Kevin Costner's Shocking Exit
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Health concerns grow in East Palestine, Ohio, after train derailment
- Missing Titanic Submersible Passes Oxygen Deadline Amid Massive Search
- ‘There Are No Winners Here’: Drought in the Klamath Basin Inflames a Decades-Old War Over Water and Fish
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Russia increasing unprofessional activity against U.S. forces in Syria
Woman charged with selling fentanyl-laced pills to Robert De Niro's grandson
Adidas is looking to repurpose unsold Yeezy products. Here are some of its options
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
'New York Times' stories on trans youth slammed by writers — including some of its own
Why Kelly Clarkson Is “Hesitant” to Date After Brandon Blackstock Divorce
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $280 Crossbody Bag for Just $71