This weekend, Covenant Presbyterian Church and its associated school filed a motion to block the release of the manifesto of the shooter who opened fire at the Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
On March 27, the female shooter killed three children and three adults 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.
This past month, the Metro Nashville Police Department announced that it was reviewing the manifesto for public release, but 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.
Monday court filings revealed that the Covenant Church made a motion to prevent the documents from being released to the public, citing privacy concerns. The motion claimed the manifesto may include schematics of church facilities and confidential information regarding employees, and that its release could “impair or impede its ability to protect its interests and the privacy of its employees.”
Clata Brewer, acting on behalf of the National Police Association, responded this week, affirming 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 and 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.”
A judge is scheduled to hear the church‘s motion on Thursday. It is unclear if the church will be successful in its request and if the manifesto will be released to the public.
In the meantime, police have not announced a possible motive for the shootings, but Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch described the manifesto as “ramblings.”