Nashville manifesto of shooter Audrey Hale leaked by Crowder

Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale wrote that she wanted to “kill all you little crackers” and “f*****s with your white privileges”, leaked photos of her alleged manifesto show.

She also wrote that she hoped for a “high death count” before gunning down six people at a private Christian school in March, referring to the massacre as “DEATH DAY”.

Three images purporting to be pages of Hale’s writings – the release of which has been the subject of public debate and ongoing legal challenges since earlier this year – were published on Monday by conservative commentator Steven Crowder, host of the Louder With Crowder podcast.

“I’m a little nervous, but excited too. Been excited for the past two weeks,” one page dated the day of the shooting reads. “Can’t believe I’m doing this but I’m ready … I hope my victims aren’t.”

Another page dated March 2 reads, “Kill those kids!!! Those crackers … F**k you little s**ts. I wish to shoot you weakass d***s with your mop yellow hair. Wanna kill all you little crackers!! Bunch of little f*****s with your white privileges. F**k you f*****s.”

A third page included Hale’s hour-by-hour “schedule” for the massacre, including “get dressed”, “eat breakfast”, “prepare for attack” and “time 2 die”.

Fox 17 Nashville reports it has confirmed “through a source” that the writings are authentic, and local officials say an investigation has been launched into the leak.

“I have directed Wally Dietz, Metro’s Law Director, to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released,” Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a statement, referring to the city’s top legal official.

“That investigation may involve local, state, and federal authorities. I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and wellbeing of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving.”

Mr Dietz said in a statement, “At this time we have limited information about this possible leak of documents related to the tragic shooting at Covenant School. I cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of the documents due to the existing lawsuit. At the request of the Mayor, I am initiating a full investigation with multiple law enforcement agencies to determine exactly what happened.”

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) also confirmed it had launched an investigation.

“The MNPD is in communication with the Metropolitan Department of Law as an investigation, begun this morning, continues into the dissemination of three photographs of the writings during an online discussion about Covenant school,” the statement said.

“The photographs are not MNPD crime scene images. The police department has been in contact with a representative of Covenant families. Police department counsellors are available to assist them in coping with the emotional trauma caused by the dissemination.”

David Raybin, a lawyer for Hale’s parents, told WSMV he could not confirm the legitimacy of the writings. “We have never seen a manifesto at any time,” he said in a statement.

“We’re not in a position to authenticate these pieces of paper. We have absolutely not released anything, but we certainly did not release this. It’s inappropriate for me to make any further comment about it.”

Hale, 28, armed with two rifles and a handgun, murdered three nine-year-old students and three school staffers, including the headmaster, at the The Covenant School in the Green Hills suburb of Nashville, Tennessee on March 27.

During her 14-minute killing spree she unleashed a hail of 152 bullets, killing students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, teachers Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both 61, and school head Katherine Koonce, 60.

Hale, who was a former student at the school, was shot dead on the second floor of the building at 10.27am by two heroic police officers, Rex Englebert and Michael Collazo, who stormed inside with three other colleagues and ran towards the sound of gunfire in heart-pounding scenes captured on bodycam footage.

In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, police confirmed that Hale – who identified as transgender and had started to go by the name Aiden – had left behind writings characterised as a “manifesto”.

“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 MNPD said in an April press release.

Twenty journals, five laptops, a suicide note and various other notes written by Hale were seized from the house she shared with her parents, as well as two memoirs, five Covenant School yearbooks and seven mobile phones, according to a search warrant.

A month after the shooting, the FBI was accused of stalling the release of the manifesto by local politicians, who described it as a “blueprint on total destruction” and “astronomically dangerous”.

“There was never a good reason to keep that monster’s manifesto under lock, which is why I called for its release months ago,” Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said on X in response to the leak.

“After reading this morning, I’m questioning even more why the anti-white racism and anti-Christian bigotry of Audrey Hale was covered up. We need answers.”

But Phil Williams, chief investigative reporter with Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, said multiple sources had told him that the “selective leak” of three pages of the manifesto was “extremely misleading”.

“People who have read the whole thing say ‘there’s something in there for everybody’. Another, ‘She hated everybody’,” Williams said on X.

“This is why journalism organisations have argued for the release of the shooter’s writings so the conversation can be based on facts, not someone’s spin.”

In April, Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett told the NY Post he understood the FBI was behind the delay, saying the news was “disappointing” and calling for documents to be released to grieving loved ones as well as members of Congress.

The manifesto “could maybe tell us a little bit about what’s going on inside of her head”, he added. “I think that would answer a lot of questions.”

Although the MNPD was leading the investigation, spokesperson Don Aaron said at the time material related to Hale was still “under analysis” by the FBI.

In the months since, Nashville police, as well as the school and a group of parents, have been fighting the release of the manifesto in court. They argue the writings should be kept secret to avoid copycats and allow closure to the families of the victims.

The National Police Association (NPA), the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) and The Tennessean newspaper have all filed lawsuits with the city and police department calling for the public release of the manifesto.

NPA officials told Fox News their case was still pending, and the documents did not come out in court. “I think it highlights the importance of getting the information out as soon as possible,” said Doug Pierce, the Tennessee lawyer representing the NPA in its case.

Mr Pierce called the potential leak a “bombshell” but said he could not confirm the documents. More information is expected to come out if he’s successful in court.

“What was requested would include more than just these three pages,” he said.

The lawsuit has been slowed for months. Currently, an appeals court is expected to rule on whether Hale’s parents and the school have a right to intervene. There is no clear timeline for a decision on releasing the full manifesto.

“It could go on,” Mr Pierce said. “This could be years before we get it all resolved.”

— with Fox News and NY Post