An online art portfolio belonging to Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale has surfaced, featuring numerous strange pieces and references to perpetual childhood.
Hale was gunned down by police on Monday after entering the Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville with several guns and opening fire across two floors. As of Tuesday morning, three students, all 9 years old, and three adult faculty members have been confirmed dead as a result of the shooting. It is believed that Hale was a former student and writings have since been found indicating that the shooter had been planning to target the school.
In the wake of the tragic incident, details have slowly been unearthed regarding the shooter's background and identity. This includes an online portfolio of artwork maintained by Hale before death, featuring some works and comments with an unsettling resonance after Monday's shooting.
Officially dubbed "AH Illustrations," the website features a collection of personal works as well as pieces that appear to have been done professionally for clients. On the "About" page, Hale is described as "a freelance Illustrator and Graphic Designer who creates logos for businesses." Further down on the page, Hale states that "there is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground."
This sense of embracing childhood or wanting to stay in perpetually is echoed in a piece that can be found in the website's "Personal" collection of works. One of the pieces appears to be a photo from the point of view of a child, red sneakers visible in the air as if the viewer is seeing their point of view while on a swing. Above the photo is illustrated text reading "to be a kid (forever and ever)." Other works on the personal page include numerous cartoon-like drawings of animals, which Hale describes as a [passion].
Elsewhere, the site features a "Portfolio" page made up mostly of what appear to be professional commissions or pitches from Hale. Among them, however, is also an unsettling rendering of Jack Nicholson's character from the 1980 film The Shining, composed of quotes from the movie. Further down, there is a piece featuring a drawing of Hale, alongside text stating that Hale was "on a mission to save the world."
Nashville Police have since confirmed that Hale identified as transgender, though the specifics of Hale's identity and transition are unclear at this time. A LinkedIn seemingly operated by Hale featured "he/him" pronouns, and the "About" page on the art portfolio featured an Instagram handle with the name Aiden. Despite the limited details available at this time, Hale's identity has nonetheless sparked arguments in some corners, with conservative figures and outlets attempting to claim that being transgender somehow motivated the shooting.
Police have consistently stressed that they are not ready to conclusively point to a motive for Hale at this time.
Newsweek reached out to the Metro Nashville Police Department via email for comment.
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