'You can call it fate': Nashville cop Rex Engelbert opens up about Audrey Hale, Covenant school shooting
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: In a horrific incident at Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, Audrey Hale killed three children and three staffers during a 14-minute shooting spree. However, the quick response of MNPD officers Rex Engelbert and Detective Michael Collazo saved many lives. Engelbert and Collazo each fired four shots at Hale, who was armed with two assault rifles and a handgun. Hale was killed within minutes of the officers’ arrival.
The two officers and Detective Sgt Jeff Mathes spoke publicly for the first time about the incident during a press conference on April 4. Engelbert told reporters that he was on his way to the police academy when he heard the call for help. "I really had no business being where I was. You can call it fate or God or whatever you want. I can’t count on my hands the irregularities that put me in that position when the call for service went out for an active deadly aggressor at a school,” WSMV, reported.
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Mathes said he had 'never seen Rex in my life'
Mathes, who arrived at the school, noticed Engelbert – an officer he did not recognize – leading the charge. Engelbert reportedly unlocked the door using a master key he received at the school from a staffer outside. Mathes said he had “never seen Rex in my life”. “When we got there, he had already unlocked the door. Not knowing what I was going into, I walked through that door without hesitation.”
'They did what we were trained to do'
Collazo, who was also on the scene, said, “We were just trying to get to her as quickly as possible to try and stop the threat that she presented. We knew there were children inside the school and that was our main priority.” MNPD Chief Drake acknowledged the six victims and their grieving families at a press conference on Tuesday. “I could see the pain and hurt that they were dealing with,” Drake said. He also commended the officers for their quick response, saying, “They did what we were trained to do. They got prepared and went right in – knowing that every moment wasted could cost lives.”
'We didn’t have time to be scared'
Hale, who police said was transgender, left behind a suicide note, a manifesto, and several notes and journals, according to court records obtained by NY Post. Police have said they recovered several more legally obtained weapons hidden throughout Hale’s home, despite the fact that her disapproving parents thought she had since sold the weaponry.
Engelbert, Mathes, and Collazo, all among the responding officers who thwarted the school shooter threat, spoke to reporters publicly for the first time since the March 27 shooting. Mathes summed up the officers’ bravery: “We didn’t have time to be scared. We knew that we had a job to do and that’s what we were there for.”