Taylor Sims: Audrey Hale's crush Sydney Sims' twin denies her sister's tragic death led to Nashville shooting
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: A grieving twin has blasted at "nasty" claims that her sibling's tragic crash last year triggered the Nashville school shooting. Trans shooter Audrey Hale, 28, is said to have been "infatuated" with Sydney Sims, 27, who played on the same basketball team as him in middle school. Samira Hardcastle, who attended school with both the girls claimed, after Sim's death, Hale was left "heartbroken" as he "really, really looked up to" her.
Sim was driving a Nissan Duke when it struck a Hyundai Elantra in North Nashville. She was rushed to a hospital but died after suffering life-threatening injuries, last August, along with the 20-year-old passenger from Hyundai. Sims’ twin sister Taylor Sims, 28, blasted the absurd claims her sister's demise sent Audrey Hale on a murderous spiral killing six people, including three children after he stormed into The Covenant School. "Please don’t attach such a nasty, disgusting tragedy to my sister’s name," Taylor wrote on Instagram. "This is very sick and just goes to show people talk. Please leave my sister out of it."
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Although Samira Hardcastle claimed, "I just feel like she took it differently than some of us did. She was still posting about Sydney almost daily." "What I knew of her was more admiring. Maybe even infatuation. That’s specifically who she really, really looked up to." After Sim's death, Hale sent a floral tribute to her family and attended the funeral. The 28-year-old also attended the unveiling of a painting dedicated to Sims and posted a clip of herself silently bouncing a ball on TikTok with the caption, "For Syd. I look up the sky is bright. It’s a beautiful day. I wish you were here…"
"Truth is none of us know why she did that," Sims’ sister said of the rampage. "Nothing about what she [Hale] has done is Ok, we’ve not had any contact with that girl for years due to other things. We all played middle school basketball together. That’s it and that is all. Granted everyone was welcomed to my sister’s funeral and that’s when we saw her for the first time in a while. She then popped up uninvited to my sister’s painting that my mom held a few weeks ago (odd) and still don’t know how she found out. So with all due respect don’t attach my family, especially my sister, to this mess," she concluded.
Audrey Hale was suffering from an 'emotional disorder'
Hale expressed similar affection toward another childhood friend, Averianna Patton, whom she messaged 20 minutes before going on a shooting spree. "This is my last goodbye. I love you," she messaged her on Instagram. "You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and known all my life." Police have collected a manifesto that detailed Hale's plan to do more harm. However, the motive behind Hale's crime remains unclear but police claim the 28-year-old was going through an identity crisis after his Christian parents banned him from dressing as a male in their suburban Nashville home.
Police Chief John Drake added at the time of the shooting, Hale had been suffering from an "emotional disorder" and was described as having "high-functioning" autism. He was under a doctor's care and had allegedly hidden a stockpile of different weapons inside his house after his parents ordered him to sell it because he couldn't be trusted with them. Chief Drake said, "Law enforcement knew nothing about the treatment, and it is apparent that she should not own weapons."