Police Chief Says Former Metro Nashville Detective Declined To Be Interviewed Regarding Leaked Manifesto Investigation

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

According to a December 8th media release, Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake reports that a former detective for the department declined to be interviewed regarding the leaked pages of the Covenant School shooter’s manifesto.

The three pages, made public by conservative pundit Steven Crowder on his show, are just a small portion of Audrey Hale’s twenty journals, but indicated her deep hatred of people who are white, and have a higher-than-average socioeconomic status.

Following Crowder’s release of the documents, seven Metro police officers were placed on administrative assignment as an investigation was launched to identify the source of the leak. Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron stated at the time that the officers were not being punished and still retained “full police power” but were moved to administrative duties in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Crowder verified on his X account page that none of the seven officers were the source of the leaked information and that no one received payment for the pages.

On Friday, Drake said that Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) had exhausted all avenues in their investigation of the leaked writings. No current MNPD employees or any employees of partnering agencies were found to have engaged in the unauthorized release of the images. The seven officers who were moved to administrative assignments during the investigation have returned to their regular duties.

In addition to a number of individuals being interviewed, electronic devices were also examined forensically. However, Drake said that last month MNPD sought an interview with a former detective and were rebuffed. The individual had possessed the images of the leaked writings as part of his official duties. Because the individual no longer works for MNPD, the department cannot “compel statements or cooperation.”

MNPD’s Office of Professional Accountability led the investigation and found that the three images were taken by a cell phone immediately after the journals were found in Hale’s vehicle. As part of intelligence gathering, two Specialized Investigations Division detectives took the photos with one detective taking two of the photos and the other detective taking one. The photos were taken to learn more about the shooter in an attempt to determine if anyone else was working with her.

The investigation’s case file is now being prepared to be presented to District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office for review. Wally Dietz, Metropolitan Director of Law, has been briefed and the investigation will be advanced if any new information comes to the attention of MNPD.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.