Nashville police say an investigation began Monday morning into three photographs that surfaced online of the alleged writings from the 28-year-old shooter at a private Christian school that left three 9-year-olds and three adults dead in March. The pictures of writings were released by a conservative political commentator Monday, CNN reports. The photographs come amid an intense legal battle among groups who want evidence – including the writings – released by authorities and parents who say their release will cause further trauma. The groups who want the writings released have various reasons. The Tennessean newspaper says the documents are public records and the First Amendment and the Tennessee Constitution grant public access to the records. The National Police Association and the Tennessee Firearms Association argue lessons gleaned from the writings could benefit public safety by shedding light on the killer’s thinking.
One page of the writings appears to be a day’s checklist, while another is filled with angry ramblings. It’s unclear how many more pages of writings there may be, and what the contents of other pages are. Authorities have previously said they combed through a notebook of writings from the shooter to learn more, and that the shooter had written extensively in a personal notebook about the attack. The attacker was shot and killed by police at the school.CNN has previously reported about journals authorities found from the shooter which were described as being related to “school shootings" and "firearm courses.” In a statement, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said he directed the city’s law department to conduct an investigation into “how these images could have been released.” “That investigation may involve local, state, and federal authorities,” the mayor said. “I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and well-being of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving.” An attorney for the shooter’s parents was unable to authenticate the writings, telling CNN in a statement, “we did not release them."