Crime & Justice

Jill Biden attends vigil in Nashville for shooting victims

Washington, Mar 29 (EFE).- United States First Lady Jill Biden attended a vigil Wednesday in the town of Nashville, Tennessee, in memory of victims of a school shooting that claimed the lives of six people, three of them minors.

During the vigil, Nashville Mayor John Cooper called on citizens to support each other in overcoming the Monday tragedy.

“When words are unable to convey the weight of our hearts, we must offer ourselves to others to help them carry that weight,” Cooper said in a speech reported by CNN.

For his part, local Police Chief John Drake said he thanked agents for their quick response on the day of the attack, adding that “Nashville joins like no other (city) to comfort those who have suffered an unimaginable loss.”

The event featured musical performances by singers Sheryl Crow and Margo Price, and concluded with a prayer from a state legislator and the audience singing “Amazing Grace.”

Three minors and three adults died in the shooting, in which the alleged attacker, identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old transgender person, was killed by the police. She was carrying two rifles and a pistol.

In a video published Tuesday by authorities, body camera footage from one of the agents shows the six minutes it took from the arrival of authorities at the scene until the attacker is killed.

The Covenant school, where the attack took place, is a private Christian center that serves students from preschool to sixth grade.

So far this year, there have been at least 30 reported incidents involving firearms in schools in the US, which have left eight dead and 23 injured, according to data from the organization Everytown for Gun Safety. EFE

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