A judge in Nashville has received an unredacted copy of a manifesto written by a shooter who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults during a Christian school shooting in March. The manifesto, found at the residence of Audrey Hale, 28, who was later shot dead by police, has sparked a contentious debate over its release to the public.
Nashville Police had announced in the aftermath that they will be releasing the manifesto recovered from the car of the shooter involved in the attack at the Covenant School in March.
Local authorities and the FBI, however, withheld releasing the manifesto to the public. Its release has been delayed multiple times, most recently, due to pending litigation surrounding the document. However, on Sunday, the Daily Mail reported that an unredacted copy of the manifesto is now in the hands of a judge in Nashville.
The judge has been provided with two versions of the manifesto for review: one without any redactions and another with proposed redactions made by city attorneys. The decision on whether to release the document to the public will ultimately lie with the judge.
Meanwhile, legal action has been taken by The Covenant School to prevent the release of the manifesto. Their lawyers argue that its publication could compromise the safety of the school, its staff, and its students. The school filed a motion of intervention on Monday to seek protection against the potential risks associated with the manifesto’s release.
This motion comes in response to separate lawsuits filed by the National Police Association (NPA) and the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA), both seeking the public release of Audrey Hale’s writings. These lawsuits have effectively paused any further action by the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) until the legal matters are resolved.
There were a number of journalists who expressed concern over delaying the release of the shooter’s manifesto to the public.
“This makes no sense,” independent journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote on Twitter. “Dozens of Tennessee citizens sought the release of the Nashville shooter’s manifesto under the public records act. All were denied. Litigation happened because the PD wouldn’t release it voluntarily. Now they’re using the lawsuit as an excuse to conceal it.”
“Nashville PD: As a result of our being sued over withholding the killer’s manifesto, we are going to withhold the killer’s manifesto,” remarked Grabien’s Tom Elliot. “Reminder that we had the Buffalo killer’s manifesto hours after that atrocity,” he added.
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Source: Becker News Rephrased By: InfoArmed