'She's in shock': Nashville's Covenant School staffer's son Alex Apple details how mom escaped tragic shooting
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: A Covenant School employee's son recalls how his mother was able to escape the tragic shooting in Nashville that left six people dead, including three children. Alex Apple's mother has been employed at the private Christian school for over 20 years. She was returning from a task on Monday, March 27, when she heard the gunfire which witnesses called a "worst nightmare of a parent."
The Nashville school shooter, Audrey Hale, who was born biologically female identifies as transgender and prefers the pronouns he/him. Hale who reportedly was a former student at the school, brutally killed three students and three employees before being fatally shot by police.
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'She was able to tell us that she was OK'
The longtime employee called her husband and son right away after escaping the Nashville school shooting unharmed, as per Apple. "Fortunately, I guess by the grace of God, my mom had gone on a quick errand, was coming back to the school, heard the gunshots, fled from there and was really quickly able to tell us that she was OK," Apple stated. "I just can’t imagine what it’s like for the families that have a prolonged wait in these circumstances because when you’re a teacher, I mean your phone’s not always in your pocket … so in that scheme of things we were we were very lucky."
Alex Apple, whose mother has worked at The Covenant School for over 20 years and survived the Monday shooting, tells @BrianEntin the suspect went to the school in the past. "It wasn't random. This was planned," Apple says.#DanAbramsLive pic.twitter.com/hjZkLGsclE
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) March 28, 2023
'How do you process such a thing because it happened so quickly?'
Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, ages between 8 and 9; Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61, were the victims identified by Nashville police. The authorities claimed that the 28-year-old shooter entered the building by shattering the glass of a side entrance door. "Cynthia Peak was just a volunteer, there to sub … and an hour and a half later, look what’s happened," Apple further said. "I think having watched my mom go through what she’s going through today, she’s probably just in shock. How do you process such a thing because it happened so quickly?"
'Just breaks my heart'
According to Apple, The Covenant School which serves children from preschool through sixth grade is a tiny, close-knit school, where almost everyone knew each other. The son also said that his mother knew Hale from the suspect’s time at the school. "For this community to have been targeting just breaks my heart," he explained. "It’s a small loving kind, gentle community, but will it ever be the same? I’m certain it won’t, and I think that’s what hurts my heart the most."
'Heartbreaking, but actually newsworthy'
Viewers of the interview reacted quickly to the YouTube video. A user commented, "This is a lovely interview. Heartbreaking, but actually newsworthy." When some criticized Apple for smiling in his interview, others took his side with a user saying, "he’s smiling because his mother survived. he’s smiling and reminiscing about the custodian to shed light on how this school and community operated." Another user remarked, "Mr Apple was so well-spoken in this interview. He really brought us to this community." The user added, ️"There’s so much anger and resentment in young people these days, or these decades. I bet this shooter was yet another casualty of a broken home. I’d put money on it, as nobody ever mentions the parents' divorce in the shooter’s profiles!" One person noted, "My elderly family members don’t understand this news and why these school shootings are still happening. They say this makes no sense to them." Another user wrote, "Evil just Evil."
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