Stephanie Sandoval
Former FBI agent praises officers responding to school shooting
Retired FBI agent Scott Augenbaum said those officers "should be very proud of how they worked together."
LEARN MOREPosted: 1:47 p.m. EDT Apr 5, 2023
The team of police officers who took down the school shooter spoke for the first time after last week's mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
The shooting at the private Christian school left six people dead, including three 9-year-olds.
The officers shared what they remembered from that day. Officer Rex Engelbert said school staff members stayed on the scene to help.
"And they gave me concise, clear information for me to use to help anyone in danger," Engelbert said.
Another officer recalls where gunfire was coming from when they first arrived at the scene.
"We began to receive gunfire from the second-floor window as officers were inside searching for that individual," Commander Dayton Wheeler said.
Investigators said the shooter fired 152 rounds in the school before being killed by officers. Engelbert said he just happened to be near the school that day when the first 911 call came in.
"You can call it fate or God or whatever you want," Engelbert said. "But I can't count on both my hands the irregularities that put me in that position."
Wheeler said, "It reminded me of a scripture that says 'Who shall I send?' and it says 'Send me.' I believe each individual along with fire department that day answered that call."
Officers found a suicide note, several journals and more weapons inside the shooter's home. There’s no motive yet, but officers say the attack was planned.
