Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Tuesday called on federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the shooting at a Christian grade school in Nashville, Tennessee, as a religious hate crime.
He gave a fiery speech on the floor of the Senate labeled as such and further demanded that liberal groups condemn the rhetoric against people of faith who claim to have contributed to the shooting.
“This is a hate crime against Christian children and teachers. No one is defending it. All activist groups must condemn this hate crime, and all the hate rhetoric that contributes to it,” Hawley write in a follow-up tweet.
Federal investigators have not determined the shooter’s motive, however. A source familiar with the investigation also told HuffPost there is no evidence that anyone at the school was targeted based on their religion.
“We do not have evidence to prove that there is a specific religion that caused the actions of the shooter. This is proven based on the fact that other locations are considered to have no religious connection,” said the source.
Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers on Tuesday that federal investigators are still working to determine the shooter’s motive.
“Of course, it’s the motive that determines whether it’s a hate crime or not,” Garland said at a Senate appropriations hearing.
Asked to respond to Hawley’s claim that Christians were specifically targeted in the shooting, President Joe Biden, who had received an update on the investigation, said said“I don’t know.”
Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the 28-year-old deceased shooter, was a former student at the school who was also under the care of a doctor for “emotional disorders,” Nashville police revealed. Police said they believe Hale is transgender but are still investigating whether he played a role in the shooting.
Hale left behind a map of the school showing the entry point and what police described as a “manifesto,” indicating that Hale had also planned to shoot at other locations.
“Texts recovered from Hale indicated that the attack was calculated and planned,” police said in a Tuesday release.
Three children and three adults were killed after Hale opened fire at the private Christian school. Hale was pronounced dead at the scene by police.