Judicial Watch: FBI Releases Nashville Shooter Manifesto

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it received 112 pages of documents that make up the “manifesto” of the March 27, 2023, shooter at The Covenant School in Tennessee. The records were an interim release in response to a Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-01483)).

The records detail the shooter’s violent thoughts, the targeting and planning of the shooting attack on the Covenant School, and transgender-related distress. The records show she considered an attack on a mall but did not pursue it because of the facility’s security measures.

“The Covenant School killer’s ‘manifesto’ records are exceedingly disturbing but should have been released long ago. We appreciate the Trump administration’s transparency. These records may help Americans understand and perhaps better prevent and protect their schools and other targets from mass shooters,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Separately, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on behalf of retired Hamilton County Sheriff James Hammond and the Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc. (“TFA”) (Hammond et al. v. Metropolitan Govt of Nashville et al. (No. 23-0538-III)). The lawsuit is on appeal after a lower court upheld efforts to keep all the records secret.

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