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Two local NBC news anchors became visibly emotional during live news coverage of Monday’s tragic Nashville school shooting that claimed the lives of at six people, including three children at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
The anchors for Nashville’s WSMV found it difficult to compose themselves as they delivered the horrific news.
Anchor Holly Thompson became overcome with emotion and struggled to speak as she attempted to report on the breaking news that an active shooter had been confirmed dead and that multiple children had also lost their lives.
‘Oh my goodness!’, she exclaimed, brimming with emotion.
Thompson expressed her condolences, saying, ‘My heart is just hurting right now. Thoughts and prayers for these families.’
Her co-anchor, Amanda Hara, briefly took over the broadcast before passing it to reporter Michael Warrick who was outside the studio.
Anchors Amanda Hara, left, and Holly Thompson, right, became overcome with emotion and struggled to speak
Holly Thompson found her voice breaking as she reported on the tragic school shooting
Amanda Hara could be seen wiping away tears as she delivered the emotional news
Later, Thompson returned and had to provide support this time to Hara who struggled to hold back tears while discussing how parents were unable to obtain any real-time information on their children’s safety while the tragedy was unfolding.
‘There are just so many questions and people wanting to know what was actually happening,’ she began, her voice audibly breaking. ‘There really are no words.’
Thompson comforted her by tapping her arm.
Earlier in the broadcast, Hara also became emotional when she explained how her own children’s schools had gone into lockdown as a precaution – only adding to the distress of the entire situation.
The shooting left three children and three adults dead after a 28-year-old female went on the rampage at the small, private Christian school.
Amanda Hara placed her arm on co-anchor Holly Thompson in an attempt to calm her
Later, Holly Thompson returned the favor and placed her arm on Amanda Hara’s shoulder
Amanda Hara struggled to speak as she delivered the upsetting news live on air
Holly Thompson appears to shun the camera as her voice broke and eyes welled up with tears
Children hold hands as they leave The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a female shooter opened fire, killing three kids and three staff members
The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, and Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
The school website lists Ms Koonce as the headteacher.
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Police said the gunwoman was 28 and from Nashville. She is believed to have been a former pupil at the school.
President Joe Biden called on Congress again to pass his assault weapons ban in the wake of the Nashville shooting.
‘It’s heartbreaking, a family’s worst nightmare,’ he said. ‘It’s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation.’
Children from The Covenant School run past an ambulance on Monday after a female shooter opened fire, killing three staff members and three students, before being shot by police
First lady Jill Biden said: ‘I am truly without words, and our children deserve better. We stand, all of us, we stand with Nashville in prayer.’
The suspect’s identity as a woman surprised experts on mass shootings with women make up only about 5 to 8 percent of all mass shooting incidents.
The tragedy unfolded over roughly 14 minutes. Police received an initial call about an active gunman at 10.13am.
Officers began clearing the ground floor of the school when they heard gunshots coming from the next floor, police spokesman Don Aaron said.
Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response, fatally shooting the suspect at 10.27am, Mr Aaron said.
He 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.
The victims were pronounced dead on arrival at the Monroe Carell Junior Children’s Hospital, said Craig Boerner, a spokesman for Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, which is affiliated with the children’s hospital.
A family prays together after being reunited outside The Covenant School in Nashville
Other students walked to safety on Monday, holding hands as they left their school surrounded by police cars, to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents.
Police with rifles, heavy vests and helmets could be seen walking through the school car park and around the grassy perimeter of the building.
The Covenant School was founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2001, according to the school’s website.
The school is in the affluent Green Hill neighbourhood just south of Nashville, close to the city’s top universities and home to the famed Bluebird Cafe – a beloved spot for musicians and song writers.
The school has 33 teachers, the website said. The school’s website features the motto Shepherding Hearts, Empowering Minds, Celebrating Childhood.
Democratic state representative Bob Freeman, whose district includes The Covenant School, called Monday’s shooting an ‘unimaginable tragedy’.
‘I live around the corner from Covenant and pass by it often. I have friends who attend both church and school there,’ Mr Freeman said in a statement.
‘I have also visited the church in the past. It tears my heart apart to see this.’
A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville
