After A heavily armed former student killed three young children and three staff at Covenant (private elementary) school in Nashville on Monday, US President Joe Biden has termed the shooting 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 shooter was named Audrey Hale, 28, and identified as transgender. He was shot dead by the police. According to the police, Hale was a resident of Nashville.

The US President also called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and said that the shooter in Nashville reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol.

President Biden on Nashville school shooting

Addressing the Small Business Administration Women’s Business Summit, President Biden said, “It’s just sick. You know, we’re still gathering the facts of what happened and why. And we do know that, as of now, there are a number of people who are not going to, did not make it, including children. And it’s heartbreaking. A family’s worst nightmare.”

Moreover, the president lauded the police for responding within minutes to end the danger. He said, “We’re monitoring the situation really closely Ben, as you know and we have to do more to stop gun violence. It’s ripping our communities apart, ripping the soul of this nation ripping at the very soul of the nation. And we have to do more to protect our schools so they aren’t turned into prisons.”

“The shooter in this situation reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol two AK-47s. So I call on Congress, again, to pass my assault weapons ban. It’s about time that we begin to make some more progress,” he added.

Officials take Twitter

Taking to Twitter, Metro Nashville Police Department wrote, “The six victims included three students who were all 9 years old.”

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.”

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Pre-Planned shooting

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, media reports said.

Further, the police chief said that the shooter entered the school by shooting through one of the doors. The shooter was once a student at the school.

According to media reports, John Drake said, “We’ve also determined that there were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance, entry points, et cetera. We know and believe entry was gained through shooting through one of the doors, is how they actually got into the school.”