Parents of Nashville school shooting victims fight to keep records out of public view

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The parents of children killed in a shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville are fighting to keep police investigative records a secret, even after many documents were leaked to a conservative media outlet.

In a Tennessee appeals court on Thursday, attorneys for the parents and The Covenant School will defend a lower court ruling that determined the shooter’s writings and other documents are protected by federal copyright law and cannot be released under the Tennessee Public Records Act.

The Covenant parents also argued that releasing the documents would be traumatic for the families and could inspire copycat attacks. Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles found that the copycat risk was real and “of grave concern.”

Meanwhile, a coalition including a state senator, media outlets and a gun rights group are seeking to have the ruling overturned. The Associated Press is among the groups that requested the records but did not participate in the lawsuit.

The shooter who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults left behind documents that include journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. When their public records requests were denied, several groups sued for access. The situation quickly ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and accusations of ethical misconduct. A former Metro Nashville Police officer has been charged with theft, burglary and official misconduct after he was accused of taking case files.

Last July, more than a year after the records suit was filed, Myles found that The Covenant School children and parents hold the copyright to any writings or other works created by shooter Audrey Hale, a former student who was killed by police. As part of the effort to keep the records closed, Hale’s parents had transferred ownership of the property to the victims’ families.

Those killed in the March 2023 shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.