The Davidson County chancellor overseeing the public records case over the Covenant School shooter's manifesto has moved the initial hearing in the case five weeks to June 8. Police say in their motion that this would allow time for parents of students at The Covenant School to intervene and that some parents have said they oppose release of the shooter's writings.
A Hendersonville resident has filed a lawsuit to force the Nashville Police Department to release the Covenant School shooter's manifesto and other writings, saying that Tennessee law does not allow police to withhold material that is not part of pending or contemplated criminal action.
School shooter Audrey Hale's manifesto would not fall under the so-called "investigative exemption" to Tennessee's public records law because this exemption is only available when there is an investigation into possible criminal charges. Here, the shooter is dead. Police have said she acted alone. So if there are no other suspects to charge, there is no investigation that could lead to criminal charges against someone.
If the video footage from the Tyre Nichols beating in Memphis tells us anything, it’s that we need to keep protecting the tools that allow public accountability for corruption.
A lawsuit filed earlier this month by journalist Stacy Jacobson of WREG in Memphis is seeking access to records related to the Department of Children's Services interactions with a 14-year-old boy who died in Memphis 2020. The department had investigated issues surrounding the boy four times previous to his death.
