‘It’s in our community’: Nashville resident Jessie James Decker weeps over school massacre

Jessie James Decker, Kourtney Kardashian, Viola Davis and Amy Schumer were among a number of notable names who took to social media Monday to comment on the mass shooting in Nashville at a private Christian school.

In the incident – the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools – a woman wielding two ‘assault-style’ rifles and a pistol killed three nine-year-old students and three adults.

The suspect, who was killed by police, is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School in Nashville, where the shooting took place. The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all nine years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61. 

Decker, 34, took to the social media site with a teary message saying she was ‘just heartbroken for these families’ who lost loved ones in Monday’s massacre.

The mom-of-three said her own children were safe, as they attend a different school, but the one targeted in the shooting was ‘only two miles up the road’ from her home, adding, ‘It’s in our town, its in out community, this should not be happening.’

A number of other famous Nashville natives took to social media to assure their fans they and their families were safe, while expressing frustration about the latest grim chapter in American gun violence.

Olympian gymnast Shawn Johnson said that the Nashville school her children attend was locked down in the wake of the shooting at The Covenant School.

‘I haven’t been able to catch my breath since reading the news and getting a call from our school that they were on lockdown as well given the news,’ Johnson said. ‘Shaking. Crying. Heartbroken. Horrific.’

The mom-of-two, 31, continued, ‘Our babies are now home with us. I feel lucky and blessed but still so incredibly sad. No parent or family should ever have to deal with this.’

Johnson spoke about the close ties of the Nashville community, adding, ‘Every single person is separated by two degrees and knows each other, prays for each other, goes to church together.’

Nashville native Jana Kramer said her two children were ‘okay’ in the wake of the tragedy. The singer-actress said on Instagram, ‘My heart is absolutely breaking for the children and families right now. Why. Why. Why. I just will never understand. Please pray.’

Kourtney Kardashian posted a trio of broken-heart emojis with the caption, ‘Again & again & again. Elementary school. Enough.’

Amy Schumer, Kate Hudson and Kate Bosworth reposted a stat that indicated ‘firearms are the #1 cause of death for American children and teens.’

Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis called the incident ‘devastating’ and said her heart goes out to all impacted by the tragedy.

‘We’ve already had over 100 mass shootings this year. We far exceed countries that we perceive as uber violent,’ Davis said. ‘Once again….my heart goes out to every family, loved one affected by the shooting in Nashville…..God bless those children. Devastating.’

Demi Lovato posted a statistic that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed zero gun safety bills in his state despite 129 mass shootings in the year’s first three months. 

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna reposted a statement from actress Sara Foster condemning lawmakers for their negligence and culpability in ongoing gun violence in the U.S., citing recent efforts to curtail children’s exposure to drag queens. 

Actress Mandy Moore said ‘there’s nothing left to say’ in the wake of the recent massacre, adding, ‘All my love to the Nashville community and parents everywhere who are terrified for their children.’ 

Actor Josh Brolin vented his frustration with the pileup of shootings in America without any meaningful response from lawmakers.

‘ENOUGH!!!!!! Whether you’re a “It’s the people not the guns” or a “It’s the guns, not the people” to say that our country is actively doing anything in its power to help avert this absolute random slaughter of our children, categorizes you in either total denial or living some fantasy of ambush that should render you unfit to take care of yourself or others,’ Brolin said.

The Avengers actor added, ‘I thought all bets were off when children became targets. Whether pedophiles or shooters, end it f***ing now no matter what psychological/sociological manipulative spin any corporation puts on it.

‘Make our country great again by having some people balls reinstated into the “By the people, For the people” system that was intended and has literally been bought out.’

He wrapped up the passionate statement in saying, ‘F*** you, America, for not protecting your children.’

The Bachelorette alum Ali Fedotowsky, who resides in Nashville with her family, said that while she was ‘so overwhelmed with emotion’ that she could barely post anything, silence on the topic would make her ‘part of the problem’

She added, ‘We must be LOUD until our senators hear us. Do you hear us SCREAMING for change,’ tagging in the accounts of three Tennessee politicians: Governor Bill Lee, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Rep. Andy Ogles.

Kerry Washington, Justin Timberlake and Olivia Munn also shared posts in memory of the six victims in the tragedy. 

The website of The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school founded in 2001, lists a Katherine Koonce as the head of the school. Her LinkedIn profile says she has led the school since July 2016.

The attack at The Covenant School – which has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members – comes as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence.

Incidents include the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year; a first grader who shot his teacher in Virginia; and a shooting last week in Denver that wounded two administrators. 

‘I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building,’ Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at an afternoon news conference. 

The Covenant School was founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The affluent Green Hills neighborhood just south of downtown Nashville, where the Covenant School is located, is home to the famed Bluebird Café – a beloved spot for musicians and song writers.

President Joe Biden, speaking at an unrelated event at the White House on Monday, called the shooting a ‘family´s worst nightmare’ and implored Congress again to pass a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons.

‘It´s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation,’ Biden said.

The suspect´s identity as a woman surprised experts on mass shootings. Female shooters make up only about 5% to 8% of all mass shooters, said Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama who has closely studied the psychology and behavior of mass shooters.

There have been seven mass killings at U.S. schools since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. In all of them, the shooters were males who killed four or more people within a 24-hour time frame at K-12 school.

Researchers believe there are three main explanations for why men commit more shootings than women, according to Jonathan Metzl, a professor of sociology and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University who has studied mass shootings for more than a decade.

Metzl listed those explanations as: Men have more testosterone, are socialized to be engaged in violence and own more guns than women.

‘From school shootings historically, very often we think that people have some historical connection or emotional connection to the school,’ he said, calling the Nashville shooting ‘an untold story.’

Monday’s tragedy unfolded over roughly 14 minutes. Police received the initial call about an active shooter at 10:13 a.m. 

Officers began clearing the first story of the school when they heard gunshots coming from the second level, police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news briefing.

Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response, fatally shooting the suspect at 10:27 a.m., Aaron said. One officer had a hand wound from cut glass.

Aaron said there were no police officers present or assigned to the school at the time of the shooting because it is a church-run school.

Other students walked to safety Monday, holding hands as they left their school surrounded by police cars, to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents.

Rachel Dibble, who was at the church as families found their children, described the scene as everyone being in ‘complete shock.’

‘People were involuntarily trembling,’ said Dibble, whose children attend a different private school in Nashville. ‘The children … started their morning in their cute little uniforms they probably had some Froot Loops and now their whole lives changed today.’

Dr. Shamendar Talwar, a social psychologist from the United Kingdom who is working on an unrelated mental health project in Nashville, raced to the church as soon as he heard news of the shooting to offer help. He said he was one of several chaplains, psychologists, life coaches and clergy inside supporting the families.

‘All you can show is that the human spirit that basically that we are all here together … and hold their hand more than anything else,’ he said.

Jozen Reodica heard the police sirens and fire trucks blaring from outside her office building nearby. As her building was placed under lockdown, she took out her phone and recorded the chaos.

‘I thought I would just see this on TV,’ she said. ‘And right now, it´s real.’

Top legislative leaders announced Monday that the GOP-dominant Statehouse would meet briefly later in the evening and delay taking up any legislation.

‘In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting,’ Mayor John Cooper wrote on Twitter.

Nashville has seen its share of mass violence in recent years, including a Christmas Day 2020 attack where a recreational vehicle was intentionally detonated in the heart of Music City´s historic downtown, killing the bomber, injuring three others and forcing more than 60 businesses to close.