MELROSE, MASS. (WHDH) - Students at Melrose High School walked out of class Wednesday as they call for more gun regulations and safety after last week’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.
Though they said they feel safe in their community, students said the topic remains an issue across the country.
“This is preventable grief and we need to advocate for stronger regulations because that’s the way to make systemic change,” Melrose High School Senior Madeleine Browdeur said.
Melrose High School Principal Jason Merrill said the school does shelter-in-place and lockdown drills to be prepared for an emergency.
“[I’m] proud of the students for organizing themselves for what they believe in, and certainly a very worthy cause,” he said.
The officers who took down the Nashville shooter recently spoke out about their response.
“We didn’t know if the shooter was to the left or the right,” said Detective Mike Collazo. “Smoke was everywhere, the fire alarm was going off. It was somewhere right around that point we heard another shot, so it told us that the shooter was to our right.
The shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, fired 152 rounds inside the school, killing three adults and three children before Detective Collazo and Officer Rex Engelbert stopped the attack.
Officer Engelbert says he wouldn’t have been able to end the shooting without the help of teachers who stayed behind.
“Luckily, due to the bravery of two staff members, they stayed on scene, they didn’t run, and they gave me concise and clear information for me to use to help anyone in danger,” Engelbert said.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake applauded the officers for their brave actions and quick thinking.
“You saw other officers who didn’t take the time to even put on ballistic helmets,” Drake said. “They were so in tune to trying to get in and take this threat down that they didn’t think about their own safety.”
Investigators are still working to determine a motive for the shooting, but say that during a search of Hale’s home, they found a suicide note, weapons and ammunition, and several journals showing Hale planned the attack for months.
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