Over the weekend, the Covenant Presbyterian Church and associated Covenant School filed a motion to block the public release of the manifesto of the transgender shooter who attacked the school, court documents revealed.
On March 27, a 28-year-old female opened fire at the Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, killing three children and three adult staff members before being fatally shot by police.
Inside the attacker’s home, authorities located the shooter’s manifesto, which included a map of the school and other writings. Police reported that the shooter had spent months planning the attack.
In late April, the Metro Nashville Police Department stated that it was reviewing the manifesto for public release. However, shortly after the announcement, the department reported that its attorneys advised the department to withhold the materials amid a pair of lawsuits.
The lawsuits, filed by the Tennessee Firearms Association and the Nashville Police Association, demanded the public release of the attacker’s writings and police communications regarding the manifesto.
Police still have not announced a possible motive for the shootings, but Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch described the manifesto as “ramblings.”
Monday court filings revealed that the Covenant Church requested that the court prevent the documents from being released to the public, citing privacy concerns.
The motion, filed against the Tennessee Firearms Association, and another filed against the Nashville Police Association stated that the manifesto “may include and/or relate to information owned by Covenant Church,” such as “schematics of church facilities and confidential information” regarding employees.
The church claimed the manifesto’s release could “impair or impede its ability to protect its interests and the privacy of its employees.”
A judge is scheduled to hear the church’s motion on Thursday.
According to the Tennessean, Clata Brewer, acting on behalf of the National Police Association, did not object to the church’s motion.
Brewer responded earlier this week, stating that she does not oppose the request “for the limited purpose of allowing Covenant Church to claim the specific interest it alleges.”
On Monday, 66 of the 74 Tennessee House Republicans signed a letter requesting the release of the shooter’s “writings as well as relevant medical records and toxicology reports.”
They argued that the materials are “critical to the General Assembly’s ability to construct effective solutions that can prevent future acts of violence.”
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