TN - Shooting at private Christian Covenant School, Nashville, suspect dead, multiple victims, 27 Mar 2023 #2

[steeltowngirl]

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, is remembered as a 'beacon of light and hope' in first Nashville school shooting funeral​

Amid a dark mood in Nashville, the girl's church pastor reminded mourners of Evelyn's aura of "hope and love."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Evelyn Dieckhaus had planned to spend Friday singing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in a play about jazz at her school.

Instead, mourners wearing pastel colors packed into Woodmont Christian Church to remember the 9-year-old "shining light" who was killed in a rampage Monday. Among them, country music singer Vince Gill, who sang Armstrong's song in her honor.

"Evelyn could have been anything,” senior pastor Clay Stauffer said. "But she chose to be a beacon of light and hope, love and joy to those around her.”

Evelyn’s funeral was the first held for a victim of Monday’s massacre at The Covenant School. A photo of her on the programs, with a big smile and a bright pink headband pushing back her light blond hair, filled the room for the celebration of her life.

In an obituary published in the Tennessean, the 9-year-old's family described Evelyn as "strong but never pushy," with a self-composure beyond her years.

She also loved music.

Evelyn's uncle, Jeff Dieckhaus, said during the service that his niece was “our family’s shining light” and was “always happy, always smiling.”

“She had the courage of a tiger and a spirit that far outsized her 9-year-old body,” he said.

The most important thing to Evelyn was her family, he said. She also loved babies and animals and nature, he said.

She was also known as an “adoring little sister” to Eleanor, her uncle said: The two were almost always connected — playing together, snuggling and holding hands while they walked.

They were “each other’s biggest fans,” Dieckhaus said. “At their core, they were best friends and loved each other so much.”

At the service, Dieckhaus shared some words from Evelyn’s big sister.

“Evelyn was funny, caring and super knowledgeable. She was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, is remembered as a 'beacon of light and hope' in first Nashville school shooting funeral

Amid a dark mood in Nashville, the girl's church pastor reminded mourners of Evelyn's aura of "hope and love."

www.nbcnews.com

Rest in peace beautiful child.

The world will miss you, little Evelyn.

Added ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ to our dedication thread.
Post in thread 'Dedication Line: Strength & Vulnerability & Justice'
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...th-vulnerability-justice.484523/post-18228134

 

[whatsupp]

I just posted this in another thread about a different mass shooting, but I think its a good read. Its about injustice collectors, written by Dave Cullen, the author of the book Columbine.

Inside the Warped Mind of Vester Flanagan and Other Shooters

The Virginia shooter's manifesto has a lot in common with those of past killers.

newrepublic.com

Thanks for the link, that is more information than I'd seen previously about Vester. He was a real psycho, his poor cats.

 

[Sillybilly]

Hey everyone,

It's pretty obvious that someone who commits this type of atrocity suffers from some sort of mental health issue. Websleuths has no issue with members referring to and acknowledging that mental health can be a concern with respect to gun ownership. What we don’t allow beyond that in these dedicated threads is members proposing specific disorders when none of us is in a position to assess or diagnose the perpetrator whom we have never met, AND discussing gun control in general. It leads to a lot of bickering and politicizing and takes the focus off the specifics of the case under discussion.

You will all be pleased to know that, after discussion with Tricia, a decision has been made to open a thread strictly for the general discussion of gun control that has long been of major concern in relation to these horrific crimes and is of national interest.

We know that our members care deeply about and want to discuss such an important issue, and to discuss how mental health may factor into changes in gun laws and how that might be addressed.

Tricia opened a “Political Pavillion” in the past but things went south and the discussion had to be closed. We are trying this approach again with the gun control issue and hope that it will not suffer the same fate. It will be up to members whether the new thread can be discussed maturely and politely without bickering with other members who may have a different opinion about this very important issue.

We will have the new gun control discussion thread open in the next day or so, and will post a link in this thread.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Substitute teacher killed at Nashville school heralded as a devoted mother and educator with a deep faith

Cindy Peak was remembered as a devoted mother who fiercely loved her family, a “spitfire” and a longtime educator who brought out the best in her students.

Peak “invested her life fully in the encouragement of others,” pastor Scott Sauls said during the service. Her three favorite roles were that of a loving mother, wife and teacher, he said.

“We will never stop missing her,” Sauls said.

“Cindy was loyal to family and friends and she loved her students and parents,” her sister Debbie Dunlap said. “But the absolute loves of her life were her husband and children."

Dunlap said Peak’s love for her children “launched her into another stratosphere."

“She was my confidant, my best friend, my beloved sister,” Dunlap said through tears. “No one can replace her."

Her husband, Chris Peak, said “there is no doubt in my mind, in my family’s mind, that Cindy died a hero.”

An online obituary stated that Peak wanted to be remembered first for her love of God followed by her love for her husband, their three children and everyone else she considered family.

Sally Weatherly, a friend and fellow teacher, shared stories of Peak picking her up in her “hot red sports car” and showing her Nashville.

She said Peak had “strong opinions and great advice,” made the best banana bread and had an infectious smile and laugh.

Peak made homemade Christmas ornaments for everyone in her third-grade class, Weatherly said.

“She was a gatherer of people,” she said at the funeral.

Substitute teacher killed at Nashville school heralded as a devoted mother and educator with a deep faith

Cindy Peak was among six people fatally shot at The Covenant School by a former student of the private Christian school.

www.nbcnews.com

What a tremendous legacy of care she leaves with all who knew her. I didn't personally know her, but I will remember, too. All three adults lost in this horror are about my age. A reminder to make the most of the time we have, as Cindy, Katherine & Mike did.

 

[mickey2942]

The randomness of these types of crimes are unsettling. It is living with the specter of domestic terrorism on a daily basis. When will people feel so crippled with mortal fear of death, that they don't perform activities of daily living?

Don't go to school, parades, the mall, concerts, work....no where is safe any longer in the United States.

 

[JennieM]

What a tremendous legacy of care she leaves with all who knew her. I didn't personally know her, but I will remember, too. All three adults lost in this horror are about my age. A reminder to make the most of the time we have, as Cindy, Katherine & Mike did.

Very well said Wings. We don't know them, but when I read about her making homemade Christmas ornaments for everyone in her class, that made her feel so real to me. What a sweet, caring lady!

 

[YepperBepper]

I just posted this in another thread about a different mass shooting, but I think its a good read. Its about injustice collectors, written by Dave Cullen, the author of the book Columbine.

Inside the Warped Mind of Vester Flanagan and Other Shooters

The Virginia shooter's manifesto has a lot in common with those of past killers.

newrepublic.com

Great article.

Cullen was responsible for breaking down all of those myths on Columbine. Great author.

I think many suggesting that Hale was this type of killer are probably correct.

Imho

 

[iamshadow21]

Great article.

Cullen was responsible for breaking down all of those myths on Columbine. Great author.

I think many suggesting that Hale was this type of killer are probably correct.

Imho

I read a lot of true crime, and I know it's meant to be a great book, but I don't know that I'll ever be ready to read Columbine. Even if it might help me understand how crimes like this one happen a little better. I like knowing things, but I'm trying to listen to myself more these days, and every time I think about reading it, the immediate feedback I get is 'not yet, maybe not ever'.

If anyone else is in the same place, know you're not alone. Listen to yourself. Take care of yourself.

MOO

 

[charminglane]

I read a lot of true crime, and I know it's meant to be a great book, but I don't know that I'll ever be ready to read Columbine. Even if it might help me understand how crimes like this one happen a little better. I like knowing things, but I'm trying to listen to myself more these days, and every time I think about reading it, the immediate feedback I get is 'not yet, maybe not ever'.

If anyone else is in the same place, know you're not alone. Listen to yourself. Take care of yourself.

MOO

You wrote exactly how I feel.
Occasionally I add Columbine to the "possible" pile as a pick for the true crime book club I run.
And then I remove it.

 

[WingsOverTX]

The randomness of these types of crimes are unsettling. It is living with the specter of domestic terrorism on a daily basis. When will people feel so crippled with mortal fear of death, that they don't perform activities of daily living?

Don't go to school, parades, the mall, concerts, work....no where is safe any longer in the United States.

Perspective & facts are important to consider. It was alarming to read in this analysis that some people are avoiding public places & events now due to fear, and yet it states:
Mass shootings account for about 1% of annual firearm deaths in the United States, but they occupy an outsize space in the public consciousness.

“These events are still relatively rare, but it doesn’t feel that way,” said school psychologist Franci Crepeau-Hobson, PhD, an associate professor and director of clinical training at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development. “I think that everybody’s sense of security has been threatened.”

Stress of mass shootings causing cascade of collective traumas

The regularity of mass shootings is razing Americans’ mental health—heightening stress and dulling compassion in ways that demand broader concern, engagement, and change.

www.apa.org

Yes, tragedy can strike at any time. But our response is individual:
While some people worry regularly about mass shootings, many are fatigued by the seemingly endless cycle of violence that moves rapidly through the media and public discourse.

“There’s not one single way people are experiencing these tragedies, and there’s no one-size-fits-all response,” Silver said. “One person might be very impacted by an event, and another may not be concerned about it at all.”

While I am not endorsing any particular solutions, as this article shows, we all have an investment in dealing with the gun violence problem.

 

[YepperBepper]

I read a lot of true crime, and I know it's meant to be a great book, but I don't know that I'll ever be ready to read Columbine. Even if it might help me understand how crimes like this one happen a little better. I like knowing things, but I'm trying to listen to myself more these days, and every time I think about reading it, the immediate feedback I get is 'not yet, maybe not ever'.

If anyone else is in the same place, know you're not alone. Listen to yourself. Take care of yourself.

MOO

Understand. I have my limits, too. It's BTK. I just can't. I can't read about him, after watching footage of his confession in court. I rarely talk about crime in a spiritual way...but he's evil incarnate. IMHO

That said, reporting regarding Columbine was chok full of terrible reporting, legends, myths and misinformation. Had Cullen not done the deep dive, those myths would still remain (and some DO continue). Those two murderers would STILL be considered martyrs for "children who are bullied" cause.

That's why I am all about lots of sourced information. Hard copy from those directly involved, if possible I hope we get it with this case...although the interest of the MSM seems to already be dwindling? IMHO

 

[Colorado303]

I get why the twin sister doesn’t want her sister‘s memory associated with this at all. But I find it hard to believe if the shooter was as obsessed with the dead sister as others have indicated that this unveiling ceremony is totally unrelated to the downward spiral into mass murder/suicide by cop a few weeks later. Of course it’s not the dead sister’s fault at all. But could this painting reveal been a trigger for the shooter?

Yes, but didn’t the fatal car crash happen in August 2022? Yet there AH apparently was back in May of 2022 honing her firearm skills in a creepy enough way to concern a total stranger.

 

[Colorado303]

She attacks a school that's directly linked to the pastor. The focus becomes less about the school's security measures. (IF he did counsel her). MOO.

AH seems to have fixated on periods of her childhood, for example her keen interest in members of her middle school basketball team despite little or no contact in their adult years. She may have put similar exaggerated stock in memories from her time attending the school. And may even have reached out to a Pastor, teacher or administrator to get a closer look at the layout and stoke her fantasies as she planned the attack,

We don’t know. What we do know is there is nothing anyone could have possibly done to justify even a mere thought of shooting 3 adults and three little kids dead. This is not on the Pastor, the church, the school or anyone associated w/it. This is on AH. And only AH.

 

[Colorado303]

Thank you.

As a general rule, I don't listen to these calls. I read the transcripts. Too much misery and nothing I can do to help.

Looking forward to the transcripts.

Imho

I haven’t listened, just read the associated articles. This teacher who called towards the end was remarkably level-headed:

After police were already in the building, a teacher called from a closet where she was sheltering with 28 students and two colleagues. A man claiming to be a police officer was outside the door, telling them they were sweeping the building. The teacher called 911 to confirm the man was who he said he was.

"I'm not going to come out with my kids unless he is indeed a police officer," the teacher said calmly.

 

[iamshadow21]

I haven’t listened, just read the associated articles. This teacher who called towards the end was remarkably level-headed:

After police were already in the building, a teacher called from a closet where she was sheltering with 28 students and two colleagues. A man claiming to be a police officer was outside the door, telling them they were sweeping the building. The teacher called 911 to confirm the man was who he said he was.

"I'm not going to come out with my kids unless he is indeed a police officer," the teacher said calmly.

She is 100% absolutely fierce and correct - I know I read about another shooting where the active shooter was pretending to be LE to try to get kids sheltering to come to the door. Oxford High.

And, TBH, having been in crisis situations in the past - nothing on this level - I know I've watched from a distance as I calmly acted fast and appropriately... and then when the crisis was over, I basically fell over and couldn't walk or talk coherently and was shaking out of my skin. Dissociation gets a bad rap, but it is, first and foremost, our brain trying to save our lives. If panic is counterproductive (fight or flight are not safe options), sometimes it puts it up on a shelf and lets an eerie, logical calm descend. And then later, it'll say, oh, here, you dropped this, and you get handed that panic long after the moment has passed.

I really, really hope Covenant School has the resources to help all its staff and students get appropriate support. Sometimes that panic takes weeks, months, years to come home to roost.

MOO

 

[Colorado303]

Personally I think Bachmann made a mess of this and I'm glad that his statements have been walked back. MOO

Eye-witness accounts are one thing. Why people who weren’t directly involved in an incident are compelled, even eager to speak to the masses whenever someone shoves a microphone in their face is beyond me. They’re often inaccurate, almost NEVER helpful and more often than not create even more grief for victims and LE.

It’s especially irritating when they get a taste for the limelight and want their 15 minutes of fame to last and last. (Who doesn’t have a few names come to mind from various cases?). I’m not implying that’s the case w/this chap, but no doubt a couple of new faces will grace YouTube and Banfield for weeks and months to come. …………. sigh

 

[Colorado303]

He owes that family a public apology. It was totally inappropriate and had to have added to their emotional pain

I get it, but suspect the family might prefer he not offer anymore anythings publicly.

 

[Colorado303]

In this case, I feel the murderer had many issues and red flags and sorely needed a support system. Perhaps they had an imaginary support system in their romantic object, but we will probably never know if the relationship was reciprocal or what was going on.

I don't think the point is to specifically discourage a particular perp, but to keep the overall pool of crime-prone and desperate people from getting bigger. No matter what caused this horrific crime, it could have been prevented - but not by law or amendments, apparently. Maybe nothing could have, but my intuition tells me that something might have prevented this.

At any rate, history is filled with horrific crimes designed to send a message. I was overly optimistic about the role of internet in making this happen less (well, crime stats say it is happening less, so I should shut up).

I have no idea what to do to prevent something like this. But I do know it could be worse.

IMO.


You said it shorter than I did. That's my same sense. That's why I think that being able to build even a single bridge to some of these young people is part of the solution. And by "young," today we mean "30 and under."

Imo

One thing here that’s strikingly different than most mass shooters — as a youngster a number AH’s schoolmates were friendly with her. She doesn’t seem to have been particularly bullied nor do classmates report her as being odd in any kind of disturbing way. The classic description I think of with school shooters is bullied, not many friends, dark interests, kind of creepy. Not this time. I wonder what went wrong.

I’m solidly on the fence about releasing the manifesto, but if it is released I’ll be reading it. What caused this reportedly sweet, funny kid (and talented artist) to go so far off the rails?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Hey everyone,

It's pretty obvious that someone who commits this type of atrocity suffers from some sort of mental health issue. Websleuths has no issue with members referring to and acknowledging that mental health can be a concern with respect to gun ownership. What we don’t allow beyond that in these dedicated threads is members proposing specific disorders when none of us is in a position to assess or diagnose the perpetrator whom we have never met, AND discussing gun control in general. It leads to a lot of bickering and politicizing and takes the focus off the specifics of the case under discussion.

You will all be pleased to know that, after discussion with Tricia, a decision has been made to open a thread strictly for the general discussion of gun control that has long been of major concern in relation to these horrific crimes and is of national interest.

We know that our members care deeply about and want to discuss such an important issue, and to discuss how mental health may factor into changes in gun laws and how that might be addressed.

Tricia opened a “Political Pavillion” in the past but things went south and the discussion had to be closed. We are trying this approach again with the gun control issue and hope that it will not suffer the same fate. It will be up to members whether the new thread can be discussed maturely and politely without bickering with other members who may have a different opinion about this very important issue.

We will have the new gun control discussion thread open in the next day or so, and will post a link in this thread.

... SB... This is so well and clearly written. Thanks to you and Tricia to open said forum... hopes that we can keep it mature and civil....!!

 

[Colorado303]

Thinking your could well be right. In the end, AH seems to read like a far too common "Its about me- now its suicide by rampage as I destroy those who have more":

- Narcissitic regarding their own feelings and their own wants.
- Success is eluding them. 28 and still living at home. Planned art career apparently did not take off. Low status job.
- Recent death of a close, and perhaps only friend- other person more of an aquiantiance?
- Social media exchange not focused on socio political issues. Instead AH relates that she will be "in the news" (famous- and successful at last.
- Christian school not made a priority target. Rather, selected for ease and shock value.

Heck, even the transgender status might not of been that deep- recently aquirred and evidently still used feminine descriptors on occasion.

I think you and @Cryptic are both right. If I can add one more observation to your excellent list—

In her (incredibly selfish) “goodbye” text she says something bad is going to happen. HAPPEN. Not she was going to do something bad. Nothing just happened. Nothing had to happen at all. She did it herself, made a conscious pre-plotted choice. Yet phrases it like some factor other than herself would be the cause.

The poster upthread who said perhaps AH did this because she was an A$$hole may be spot on.