Writings a Nashville school shooter will not be disclosed to the public, a A Tennessee judge ruled Late Thursday, they found it would do more harm to release them now.
“When there is an ongoing or anticipated criminal investigation, Tennessee courts have determined that unrestricted access to every record at any time does not serve to uphold the criminal justice system and the justice system on which we all depend to ensure that investigations remain fair and just. impartial to each person involved,” Davidson County Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles said in her ruling.
“Therefore, the right of unfettered access to public records has been limited by certain exceptions that serve to prevent disclosure of certain information because the risk of harm from disclosure outweighs the public’s right to know,” he said.
Myles concluded that any records kept by Nashville government officials “will not be disclosed at this time” and suggested that the records could later be made public; Those who want to be released can also file an appeal against the sentence.
His order follows months of litigation between police officers, the media and family members of the victims. March 27, 2023 mass shooting hour Pact School, a Christian grade school. Heavily armed former student Audrey Hale killed three children and three staff members before police killed the shooter on the second floor of the school.
But in the weeks after the shooting, a his motive remained unclearAside from the initial possibility that the 28-year-old shooter might have a grudge against the school.
Authorities said the shooter’s posts were gibberish indicating a mental health struggle, and Nashville police offered to release the posts after their investigation is complete.
But the anticipated release of the tapes quickly became a flashpoint, sparking legal disputes between various parties who called for its release in the public interest, while others, including victims’ families, suggested it would only inspire copycats.
Attorneys representing both media companies and the Accord families, who are seeking the release of the records, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
The matter only became more complicated in November some of the shooter’s writings were made public by conservative podcast and YouTube show host Steven Crowder. Then, last month, the Tennessee Star, a conservative news site, published more writings and suicide notes by the shooter.
The November breach prompted Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to call for an investigation into the unauthorized release. 7 city police officers were deployed on “administrative assignment”.
Although the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility determined that the writings came from the shooter’s journals and cell phone photos found by detectives inside the shooter’s car, the investigation was closed without any permanent action being taken when the former detective did not cooperate.
A spokesman for the parents called the person who released the images of the posts a “viper” and said the person had “revealed evidence collected at our most vulnerable moment”.
Some parents of Covenant students and teachers also opposed a state bill that would have allowed employees of public or private businesses in Tennessee to carry guns at school. Governor Bill Lee, Republican, signed the law It became law in April, he told reporters, “The bottom line is that we give districts the tools and the ability to use a tool that will keep their children safe.”