A Tennessee judge has granted parents of students killed or traumatized in a school shooting the legal right to object to the release of police evidence, including the shooter’s writings. The ruling has been described as unprecedented and could have a chilling effect on what law enforcement officials make public about violent crime in the future. The parents filed a motion to be heard in a lawsuit filed against the Nashville Metropolitan Government by media companies, the Tennessee Firearms Association and a private investigator. The parents’ attorney said they do not want any of the police evidence ever made public, specifically the journals of the alleged shooter.
Based on ABC News, a Tennessee judge’s recent ruling granting parents the legal right to object to the release of police evidence in a Nashville school mass shooting case could have a chilling effect on what law enforcement officials make public about violent crime in the future. The ruling was made by Davidson County Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles, who declared that the parents of students who were killed or traumatized by the March 27 massacre at the Covenant School have a legal standing to intervene on behalf of their children in lawsuits requesting evidence, including the shooter’s writings, be released to the public.
Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition on Open Government, a nonprofit that advocates for transparency in government, expressed her concerns about the ruling, stating that “there’s no roadmap on this.” The Covenant School parents filed a motion to be heard in a now-consolidated lawsuit filed against the Nashville Metropolitan Government by media companies, the Tennessee Firearms Association Inc., and a private investigator for the National Police Association to compel the police department’s release to the public evidence collected in an ongoing investigation of the school shooting that left three 9-year-old students and three adults, including the head of the school, dead.
During a court hearing before Myles this week, an attorney for the parents stated that they don’t want to see any of the police evidence ever made public, specifically the journals of the alleged shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who was killed by police. Police have not commented on a motive for the attack. Attorney Eric Osborne, who said he represents 100 families affected by the school shooting, also expressed concerns that the evidence, if made public, could inspire copycat attacks and add additional pain to the children who survived the rampage.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to enter this case on behalf of our children and loved ones,” said Brent Leatherwood, a Covenant School parent who attended the Monday hearing, in a statement to The New York Times. “Our intention is to safeguard our families and do all we can to prevent this horror from spreading to any other community.”
In their motion, the parents cited the Tennessee Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, which gives crime victims and their families the right to be treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and privacy, as well as the right to be informed and participate in the criminal justice process. However, legal experts are divided on whether the parents’ objections will hold up in court.
Based on the report, the ruling could have a significant impact on the transparency of law enforcement investigations and the public’s right to know about violent crimes. The media companies involved in the lawsuit argue that the public has a right to access the evidence collected by the police department, which could shed light on how the shooting occurred and what could be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The judge’s ruling highlights the difficult balance between protecting the privacy and dignity of victims and their families and the public’s right to access information about violent crimes. As the investigation into the Covenant School shooting continues, it remains to be seen how this ruling will impact the release of evidence in this case and future cases involving violent crimes.
