Covenant School Shooter Aiden Hale Hid His Darkest Thoughts From Parents and Therapist

Two years after 28-year-old Aiden Hale (who was born Audrey Hale) walked into The Covenant School and killed nine people, police released a final report on the shooting. According to the report obtained by CNN, Hale did not hate anyone at the school and had nothing but fond memories of his time there when he attended as a child. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Hale considered the students and staff to be as "innocent" as he was.

These feelings didn't stop him from fatally shooting three teachers and three 9-year-old students. The report is comprised of interviews with friends and family, as well as a forensic examination of Hale's digital devices. Investigators managed to cobble together a motive behind the attack. They also learned a lot after speaking with his parents, who desperately tried to help their child. Here's what we know.

The morning of the shooting, Hale left his home carrying a suspicious red bag, which prompted his mother to ask about it, reported WSMV. Hale dismissed the question, but Norma Hale had a very good reason for being concerned. Her son had been diagnosed with an emotional disorder and was under the care of a mental health professional. For this reason, Norma and her husband Ron did not think Hale should own any weapons though they were aware that he had at least one gun.

Police later learned that Hale was hiding things from his parents and therapist. In 2019 and 2021, he underwent psychological assessments conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, per ABC 4. Doctors concluded that Hale was not suffering from psychosis and recommended outpatient treatment. He understood "which topics to avoid with [his] providers and how to manipulate them into believing [his] documented issues with homicidal and suicidal ideations were well in [his] past," said the report.

As Hale's parents grew more concerned, he became more manipulative, said police. They uncovered a plan Hale had to kill his mother in order to keep her from discovering the school shooting plan. This was something he reportedly considered despite his "strong emotional attachment" to Norma. Hale also used cash to pay for things related to the attack because Norma checked his debit and credit card accounts. After the attack, Norma told ABC News that she felt like she had lost her child.

Hale left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note, and a memoir, per court filings obtained by the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University. In July 2024, Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles ruled that The Covenant School children and parents hold the copyright to these writings and as such, they would not be released to the public. This was done out of respect for the families of the victims, who did not want to give Hale the notoriety he craved.

Investigators determined that Hale's motive was a desire to be seen and gain some sort of fame from the killings. "Hale longed for [his] name and actions to be remembered long after [he] was dead," said the report, via NBC News. "[He] saw [himself] as a victim in the attack, and even though at times [he] saw himself equal to those [he] would kill, there were occasions [he] considered [himself] to be 'the true victim' in the attack." Hale was also fascinated by other school shootings, particularly Columbine.