Nashville Police Ordered to Disclose Covenant School Shooter Investigation Details

The city of Nashville, Tennessee, was ordered to turn over documents to a judge about the police’s investigation into the March 2023 shooting at a Christian school by a transgender-identifying shooter, according to court filings obtained by The Daily Wire.

The order is part of the ongoing battle over what writings will be released from the woman who murdered six people, including three children, at the Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, 2023. A coalition of groups, including the National Police Association, sued last year after the Metro Nashville Police Department refused to release the killer’s writings and other investigative documents.

Judge I’Ashea L. Myles ordered the police department on Monday to give her a detailed explanation of what is contained in its “investigative file” into the shooting at the Covenant School and to give her documents they believe can be released despite the ongoing investigation into the shooting. Both requests are ordered to be responded to within 10 days.

In her order, the judge requested “an updated set of redacted documents, which counsel for Metro contends may be released, without compromising any active investigation.” Additionally, Myles asked for the police department to produce an affidavit estimating when it would be able to produce the redacted files upon completion of the investigation.

The police department has said that it needs to wrap up its investigation before it can release most of its documents on its investigation into the shooting.

Myles’ orders for the police department follow a two-day show-cause hearing last week over whether to release the shooter’s writings or not. Several different parties sued the city of Nashville last year to gain access to the shooter’s writings, including the Tennessee Firearms Association, The Tennessean, The Tennessee Star, Republican state legislator Todd Gardenhire, and the National Police Association.

Intervening in the case are the Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, and a group of parents who do not want the documents released. The city now maintains that it will release most of the writings once it concludes its investigation with specific redactions related to school security.

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Myles’ order also told each of the parties to produce legal briefs on whether there was a copyright exemption for public documents. The shooter’s parents transferred copyright to her writings to Covenant parents, and representation for the parents has attempted to block the release of any of the shooter’s writings through copyright claims.

Some of the parents have argued that releasing the killer’s writings would allow her “to speak from the grave” and give her notoriety. On the other side, the groups have argued that the release of the writings will allow the public to understand motivations and give insight into stopping similar shootings.

Russ Nobile, a lawyer for Judicial Watch working with the Tennessee Firearms Association, argued last week that his clients wanted the documents because it was important to know what led to the shooting, especially because of the local and national implications of the case.

The parties have until April 29 to respond to how copyright claims interact with the Tennessee Public Records Act and Nashville has until May 2 to respond to Myles’ other requests.

In a different suit, a federal judge is currently reviewing the FBI’s documents on its investigation into the Covenant shooting after The Tennessee Star sued the agency for more details. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta A. Trauger ordered the documents be released for her review due part because of the “significant public interest” around the investigation.

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