Biden expresses solidarity with Nashville school shooting victims, says "we owe them action"
Mar 29, 2023
Washington [US], March 29 : US President Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed his solidarity with the victims of the Nashville School Shooting that claimed the lives of six people, including three children and said that as a nation Washington owes these families more than just prayers.
"As a nation, we owe these families more than our prayers. We owe them action. We have to do more to stop this gun violence... I again call on Congress to pass assault weapons ban," US President Joe Biden said in his remarks in Durham on Tuesday.
"You know, we know the names of the victims. We've seen the initial footage of the attack. Three children -- three children dead, all just nine years old, including the daughter of the pastor. Three members of the staff -- the school custodian, a substitute teacher, and the head of school," Biden said.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the person who killed six people at Covenant School in Nashville on Monday has been identified as Audrey Hale. According to Drake, Hale is a 28-year-old Nashville resident, CNN reported.
Speaking of the incident, Biden further said, "I spoke with one of the -- like, actually, it was the governor's wife -- the governor -- he was telling me his wife was about to have dinner that night with her. There is still more to learn about what happened, but there's plenty we do know."
Earlier on Monday, US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) termed the school shooting at Nashville which claimed the lives of six people as "sick" and said that the US has to do more about gun violence and stressed that "it's ripping the soul of this nation."
The six victims included three students who were all 9 years old, the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a tweet.
Metro Nashville Police Department tweeted, "The 6 victims fatally shot by the active shooter at Covenant School are identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, Cynthia Peak, age 61, Katherine Koonce, age 60, and Mike Hill, age 61."
The shooter had drawn detailed maps of Covenant School, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said in a press conference. Drake said that the suspect in Monday's shooting was armed with three firearms, CNN reported.
Drake further said that the shooter entered the school by shooting through one of the doors. The shooter was once a student at the school, CNN reported citing initial findings from police.
