The 28-year-old woman who murdered six people, three of whom were children, at a Nashville Christian elementary school on Monday sent a chilling series of messages to a friend moments before committing her atrocity.
The shooter, whom the Daily Wire will not name due to company policy, sent the messages to Averianna Patton, a former middle school basketball teammate, via Instagram. Patton discovered the disturbing messages, which she relayed to News Channel 5, at 9:57 a.m., approximately 15 minutes before the shooter entered the school.
“I’m planning to die today. THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!” the shooter wrote to Patton. “You’ll probably hear about me on the news after I die.”
According to the messages, Patton pleaded with the shooter, a biological female who pretended to be a man, telling her that she had so much to live for, but the killer responded with even more chilling texts.
“My family doesn’t know what I’m about to do,” she said. “One day this will make more sense. I’ve left more than enough evidence behind. … But something bad is about to happen.”
Patton told News Channel 5 that she asked her father what she should do and then immediately contacted authorities after messaging the shooter.
“After phone calls from friends and [the shooter’s] name was released as the shooter at Covenant Nashville school, I learned that [she] was the shooter and that she had reached out to me prior to the shooting,” Patton said. “My heart is with all of the families affected and I’m devastated by what has happened.”
Metro Nashville Police Department officers were on the scene within minutes after the shooter broke into the Covenant School in what authorities described as a “targeted attack.” A team of five officers stormed the building, and two of them exchanged gunfire with the shooter, killing her on the spot.
At a press conference, authorities confirmed that the female shooter, in fact, identified as a man.
Local authorities and the FBI searched the female shooter’s home on Monday afternoon. During the search, police said they discovered “a manifesto” as well as detailed maps of the school with points of entry. The police chief stated that authorities have a theory about the shooter’s motivation but are not yet ready to share it.