Two victims killed in Monday’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville were “family friends” of Tennessee first lady Maria Lee, her husband, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, said Wednesday.
The Tennessee governor said one of the adult victims, Cindy Peak, had planned to join Maria for dinner Monday night. He said Peak, Maria and head of school Katherine Koonce, who was also killed in the tragedy, had known each other and been friends “for decades.”
“What happened at Covenant School was a tragedy beyond comprehension,” Lee said. “Like many of you, I’ve experienced tragedy in my own life, and I’ve experienced the day after that tragedy. I woke up this morning with a very familiar feeling, and I recognize that today, many Tennesseans are feeling the exact same way: The emptiness, the lack of understanding, the desperate desire for answers and the desperate need for hope. All of Tennessee was hurt yesterday.”
“Maria woke up this morning without one of her best friends, Cindy Peak. Cindy was supposed to come over to have dinner with Maria last night after she filled in as a substitute teacher yesterday at Covenant,” the governor continued.
“Cindy and Maria and Katherine Koonce were all teachers at the same school and had been family friends for decades.”
Peak, Maria and Koonce all worked at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville throughout their careers, according to The Tennessean.
Six victims died in the Monday tragedy after transgender shooter Audrey Hale entered the building armed with two “assault-type” weapons and a handgun. The Nashville Metropolitan Police Department encountered Hale on the second floor of the building and fatally shot her. (RELATED: Trans Activists Criticize Right-Wingers, Christians In Aftermath Of Nashville School Shooting)
The student victims included 9-year-olds Hallie Scruggs, Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney. Mike Hill, a 61-year-old school custodian, was also killed in the shooting. Scruggs is the daughter of Covenant Presbyterian Church Pastor Chad Scruggs.