While a Tennessee judge on Wednesday said that she was willing to release the writings of a school shooter as public record once an investigation is closed, the parents of children at the Covenant School told the judge that they have gained legal ownership of the writings from the shooter’s parents and now hold the copyright, the Associated Press reports. Judge I’Ashea Myles of Davidson County Chancery Court said she will write an order outlining specific questions she wants lawyers to address. Only after that will she rule on when, if ever, the writings can be released to the public.
Police have said the writings that they collected as part of their investigation into the March 27, 2023, shooting at the Covenant School that killed three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members are public records. Those asking that the writings be released immediately include news outlets, a Tennessee state senator, a gun-rights group and a law enforcement nonprofit.  But three other groups, representing Covenant parents, school and church, argue that none of the writings should ever be released, because of the copyrights and a Tennessee law that protects the privacy of information, records and plans related to school security. Of the 112 families with children at the school at the time of the March 27, 2023, attack 103 have signed on to their position that the writings should be suppressed.