News/Commentary

Nashville cops can’t find the leaker of trans shooter manifesto: ‘Exhausted all available investigative avenues’

December 9, 2023 | | Print Article

An investigation into the leak of the Nashville shooter’s manifesto has reportedly turned up absolutely nothing.

In an email to reporters sent late Friday, Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief John Drake said they have “exhausted all available investigative avenues to identify the person who leaked photographs containing three pages of writings from the Covenant School shooter,” according to local station WKRN.

He added that the investigation revealed that no MNPD employees, and no employees of partner agencies, were responsible for the unauthorized leak.

“Employees placed on administrative assignment during the investigation have since returned to their regular duties, according to police,” WKRN notes.

Multiple people were reportedly investigated, including a former MNPD detective who’d handled the manifesto as part of his duties. However, the detective refused to be be interviewed and now no longer works for the department.

As previously reported, images of the manifesto (not the manifesto itself) were leaked to conservative podcaster Steven Crowder in early November.

With pages visibly dated Feb. 3 and March 27, 2023, the date of the attack, the images posted on social media by Crowder highlighted a timetable for the pre-meditated murder, characteristics of shooter Audrey Hale, her intended targets, and her final thoughts.

The manifesto was leaked despite a fervent attempt by left-wing parties to prevent it from ever seeing the light of day.

For example, last March a number of LGBT groups began calling for the manifesto to never be publicly released because doing so might inspire other mass shooters.

“It should not be published. The focus should be on how this was able to happen in the first place. There should not be such easy access to deadly weaponry,” Jordan Budd, the executive director of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE) told Newsweek.

“The contents don’t change the outcome of the tragedy. Regardless of the shooter’s intentions, the real issue here is the ease of access to deadly weapons in Tennessee and elsewhere. All children, no matter who their parents are or how they identify, should feel safe and supported at school. That includes a world free from gun violence,” he added.

Even Charles Moran, the national president of Log Cabin Republicans, a right-wing LGBT group, appeared to agree with some of what Budd said, telling Newsweek that the release of Hale’s manifesto could trigger “serious consequences.”

“While it would certainly give insight into the motivations of this deeply troubled individual that could help shed light into root causes, we know from tragedies like this that additional glorification of the shooter could inspire others to take similar violent acts for attention,” he said.

Laura McGinnis, a spokesperson for PFLAG, reportedly the largest LGBT group in the country, also concurred, warning that releasing the manifesto could “increase the risk of contagion,” as reported by Newsweek.

Two months later, Nashville attorneys submitted the manifesto to a judge to review after a couple of lawsuits were filed by parties on the right.

One suit was filed by the National Association of Police. The other was filed by former Trump administration official Stephen Miller’s law firm, America First Legal.

In a statement, America First Legal vice president and general counsel Gene Hamilton stressed that the public has a right to read the manifesto.

“A deranged transgender psychopath took six innocent lives and struck at the heart of a tight-knit community. While we grieve for the families and pray for God’s peace, righteousness, and perfect justice to prevail upon all affected by this horrible situation, the fact remains that the public has a right to see these documents,” he said.

“This is not the time for gamesmanship for ideological reasons—and we will fight to help our client obtain the documents he requested and is entitled to under the law,” he added.

As previously reported, the Nashville shooter, Audrey Hale, was a “transgender male” who opened fire at The Covenant School on March 27th, killing six people before being killed herself by the police.

According to reports, Hale left a manifesto at her home, and it was strongly suspected that the manifesto contained the motive for her heinous actions. Incidentally, the leak of the manifesto proved this to be 100 percent true …

Vivek Saxena
Latest posts by Vivek Saxena (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles