A 28-year-old woman has killed six people, three of them children, in a shooting at a private Christian grade school in Nashville, Tennesee.
Emergency services rushed to the Covenant School at 33 Burton Hills Blvd, and the shooter was killed, police said.
Earlier, police said the female shooter "appeared to be in her teens". According to the police, the 28-year-old white woman was living in Nashville and is understood to have previously been a student at the school.
NBC have identified the shooter as local Audrey Hale, reporting that three law enforcement officials have confirmed this.
MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron described the scene in a media briefing: "The shooting happened at 10.13am. The shooting didn't happen in a classroom.
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"Officers went to the gunfire. When they got to the second floor and saw the shooter, a female. There was a five-member unit that was on the second floor at the time.
"We know at this point that this shooter is a female and appears to be in her teens. Her identification isn't confirmed.
"She had two assault rifles and a handgun. She entered the school through a side entrance and went from the first school to the second floor. By 10:27 am, the shooter was dead."
The White House has said that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the Nashville shooting.
Press Secretary said lawmakers should take action, adding "how many more children have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up and act to pass the assault weapons ban".
Earlier, a spokesperson from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed that three pediatric patients were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, all having suffered gunshot wounds.
All three children and three adults were pronounced dead after arrival.
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"We have mental health professionals at the reunification site," NFD spokesperson Kendra Looney said. "There is a hotline for parents to call that is being set up."
The three children killed were later identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old.
The adults killed were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, Mike Hill, 61, a janitor, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school.
Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are participating in an investigation into the incident.
One police officer also suffered an injury on his hand from a cut glass during the shootout.
Police went on to search her house and found a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and evidence she had clearly done surveillance before the shooting.
Authorities also described her as a "lone zealot", who had written a manifesto ahead of the attack.
Hale is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School in Nashville, where she used two assault rifles and a pistol to kill six.
US President Joe Biden addressed the school shooting by sending his condolences to the families and highlighting the need for the state to address gun violence.
Nashville Chief of Police said all the victims and the shooter have been identified, however, their names were not released.
In a media briefing, the director of the Tenessee Bureau of Investigation said the Metro Nashville Police Department will be leading the investigation.
The Nashville Fire Department first alerted residents with a post on Twitter: "We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School.
"We can confirm we have multiple patients. Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time. This is an active scene."
All hospitals went on full alert for incoming and triage, and authorities established a reunification area at 2100 Woodmont Blvd (Woodmont Baptist Church) for parents to meet their children who attend The Covenant School at 33 Burton Hills Blvd.
WKRN reporter, Peyton Kennedy, earlier reported that at least four people, including a shooter, have been killed.
Metro Nashville Police Department said in a post on Twitter: "An active shooter event has taken place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Burton Hills Dr.
"The shooter was engaged by MNPD and is dead. Student reunification with parents is at Woodmont Baptist Church, 2100 Woodmont Blvd."
Airspace was also being restricted over the school, with authorities requesting news choppers as well as planes monitored by the Nashville International Airport to clear the airspace.
About 200 students from preschool through sixth grade attend the Covenant School.
Students were led out of the school in a line, each with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.
As parents gathered and waited to pick up their kids, a police officer told them: "I know this is probably the worst day of everyone's lives. I can’t tell you how sympathetic we are."
The killings come as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence, including the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year; a first grader who shot his teacher in Virginia; and a shooting last week in Denver that wounded two administrators.
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn said: "Chuck and I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.
"My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist.
"Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected."
Mayoral candidate Freddie O'Connell said: "Nashville has, sadly, today joined the communities that have experienced a school shooting.
"For now, my focus is turning to supporting the impacted families and revisiting our efforts to prevent these horrifying scenarios."
The Covenant School was founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2001 and it is located in the Green Hill neighbourhood, south of downtown Nashville.
The grade school has 33 teachers and an enrollment of between 195 and 210 students, according to its website, which features the motto “Shepherding Hearts, Empowering Minds, Celebrating Childhood.”
Democratic state Rep. Bob Freeman, whose district includes The Covenant School, called Monday’s shooting an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“I live around the corner from Covenant and pass by it often. I have friends who attend both church and school there,” Freeman said in a statement. “I have also visited the church in the past. It tears my heart apart to see this.”
