🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
The Metro Nashville Police Department have responded to a manifesto allegedly written by the Nashville school shooter recently released by conservative commentator Steven Crowder.
"We have not released that and at this point we are unable to confirm the authenticity of what has been released, although we are looking into that at this very moment," a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department told Newsweek on Monday morning.
Similarly, a spokesperson for the police department told the Tennessee Star on Monday that "I have no idea what that is, and at this point in time I don't think we know what that's about," when asked about the manifesto allegedly written by 28-year-old Audrey Hale.
In March, Hale was identified as the suspect who fatally shot six individuals, including three children at The Covenant School, in Nashville. Hale died at the scene and police said that they recovered writing belonging to the shooter following the incident.
A spokesperson for the FBI also responded to Newsweek's request for confirmation on the manifesto saying, "As this matter is being addressed by the courts, the FBI will not be commenting on the reported documents."
On Monday morning, Crowder posted a video on YouTube saying that a manifesto allegedly written by Hale had been leaked and he was sharing sections of it on his channel. In response to law enforcement officials declining to confirm the manifesto, Crowder told Newsweek that "We stand by our reporting."
"BREAKING: Nashville School Covenant Shooter Audrey Hale's 'DEATH DAY' Manifesto Targeted 'Cr*ckers' with 'white privlages [sic],'" Crowder wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"In the collective writings by Hale found in her vehicle in the school parking lot, and others later found in the bedroom of her home, she documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School," the Metro Nashville Police Department said in April.
Police also previously confirmed that Hale identified as a transgender individual.
Earlier this month, Tennessee Rep. John Rose issued a statement calling on the Nashville Police Department to release further information about Hale.
"Nashvillians and Tennesseans deserve greater transparency and responsiveness on an issue that so deeply affects our community," Rose said in a statement.
"Chief [of Nashville Police John] Drake has completely ignored my reasonable request for more information regarding the evidence seized in the Covenant School shooting.
"This lack of cooperation is leaving those of us in positions of leadership in the dark, without critical insights that may be helpful as we discuss policy solutions that may prevent future tragedies."
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more