Report: Covenant killer diagnosed with 5 mental health disorders
Audrey Hale shot and killed six people, including three children, at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27. (@nypost / Twitter)
The now-deceased shooter who killed three children and three adults at Nashville's Covenant school a year ago had been diagnosed with five mental health disorders, according to a new report from the Tennessee Star.
The report explains that's what her parents, Ronald and Norma Hale, told Metro Nashville police in 2023 during an interview.
The parents, with their lawyer, "provided the list of mental disorders after MNPD investigators questioned whether Audrey Hale was formally diagnosed with autism," the report explained.
Those issues, the report said, were identified as "anxiety disorder, social phobia, dysthymia disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder."
The diagnoses came in 2011 when she was in high school, the report said.
Those with an anxiety disorder could “respond to certain things and situations with fear and dread” or “experience physical signs of anxiety, such as a pounding heart and sweating,” according to the Cleveland Clinic, which similarly explains that social phobia causes “fear and anxiety” when “around people in social situations.”
The report citing various sources, said dysthymia disorder is a persistent depressive disorder characterized by chronic depression that is not as severe as some, but lasting longer, while mayor depressive disorder is when "an individual has a persistently low or depressed mood, anhedonia or decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration" and more.
Further autism spectrum disorder has symptoms appearing early in life and which is characterized by limited interests, repetitive behaviors and difficulty communicating.
The report explained, "Ronald Hale and Norma Hale told MNPD investigators that Audrey Hale was given the diagnosis after a series of tests were administered by an individual who appears to be employed by Vanderbilt University and affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where police documents revealed Audrey Hale was a 22-year mental health patient prior to her March 27, 2023, attack…"
Audrey Hale also was evaluated twice for commitment at VUMC after episodes of suicide ideation, but was not, in fact, committed, the report said.
The report noted, "Star News Digital Media, Inc., which owns and operates The Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy are plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuits which seek to compel both MNPD and the FBI to release Audrey Hale’s full writings, including those sometimes called a manifesto."
The FBI has argued against releasing her writings, wanting the information kept from the public.
For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters. If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, please help us by becoming a WND Insider!
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@wndnewscenter.org.
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!