The Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale expressed “heartbreak” over the 2022 passing of a student basketball teammate with whom she had been “infatuated.”
Sydney Sims, who was killed in a car accident in August 2022, according to an obituary, was deeply affected by her death, according to Samira Hardcastle, who told The Post that “tomboyish” Hale had been.
Both the girls’ middle school and high school classmate Hardcastle recalled that Audrey was “really heartbroken over it” following Sydney’s tragic death. Simply put, I think she interpreted it differently than some of us did. She continued to write about Sydney almost every day.
“What I knew about her made me more in awe of Sydney.” even infatuation, perhaps. She specifically admired that person a great deal.
Hale, who the police claimed was transgender and had begun to identify as using he/him pronouns, posted a TikTok in February on an account named “iam aiden10” that has since been deleted in honour of “Syd.”
The video clip displayed a basketball being bounced by a shadowy figure with the words, “For Syd. When I look up, I see a clear sky. It’s a lovely day. You should be here, please.
Hardcastle claimed that she had last seen Audrey a month prior when they had both attended a radio show taping for their friend Avieranna Patton. Audrey shot her way into her former elementary school on Monday, killing three nine-year-old students and three staff members.
She wasn’t with anyone, in my opinion. Hardcastle continued, “I don’t think that they were very close but I think Audrey looked up to [her] like she looked up to Sydney. She was just kind of by herself. However, I’m not sure if it was ever something that was reciprocal.
The final person Hale spoke to before going on a shooting rampage was Patton, who received a message from Hale that read, “This is my last goodbye. I adore you. I’ll see you in another life.
She continued, “My family doesn’t know what I’m about to do. Patton is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and known in my entire life. This will make more sense in time. I’ve provided more than enough proof. However, something negative is about to occur.
Hardcastle stated that Hale was a school-aged “tomboy” who did not appear to transition until adulthood.
She added that she was unaware of Hale having a romantic relationship with Sims.
Maria Colomy, a former instructor at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville who taught Hale as an adult, stated in an article for The New York Times that Hale’s transition began around the time she was grieving the loss of a romantic partner.
According to the teacher, Hale had written about how she missed the person and frequently posted pictures of them playing basketball.
CNN quoted her as saying, “The only thing I would see [Hale] post would be about this girl.”
“She had been publicly mourning this on social media, and it was during her mourning that she announced she wanted to be addressed as a man,” Colomy told the New York Times.
Nashville Metro Police say they are still searching for a motive for Audrey’s decision to open fire on the private Christian elementary school she once attended, but have recovered a manifesto she penned prior to her shooting spree.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said they are looking into whether Hale’s identity played a role in the slaughter.