Washington: US President Joe Biden ordered that US state flags be flown at half-mast after a shooting at a private Christian grade school in Nashville, the US state of Tennessee, the White House said in a proclamation.
“As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 27, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, March 31, 2023,” the White House said.
“I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations,” according to the proclamation.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during a press conference that police identified the apparent perpetrator of the Nashville shooting as 28-year-old female Audrey Hale. Hale identified as a transgender male and is believed to have previously attended the school, Drake added.
The shooting left three children below the age of 10 dead, as well as three adults. One of the victims, Katherine Koonce, is listed as Head of School on the institution’s website.
Hale was also killed by police who responded to the shooting.
