An attack at Covenant School, a private Christian institution for children through 6th grade in Nashville, Tennessee, has resulted in the deaths of three children and three adults, as Fox News Digital reported.
Police say officers engaged with and killed the shooter. That brings the number of those dead on Monday to seven.
Don Aaron, Nashville Police Department Public Affairs Director, confirmed in a press conference that three staff members, three students and one female shooter died.
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The institution is a "church that operates a private school," Aaron also noted.
Faith leaders around the nation reacted to the tragic news, offering comfort and frank assessments of the state of morality in our nation.
Said Alex McFarland, a youth, culture and religion expert from Greensboro, North Carolina, "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with all those impacted by the tragic shooting at Covenant School in Nashville."
He also told Fox News Digital, "This is another example of the evil growing in our country, which is happening because we abandoned God and moral truth."
McFarland said, "The sooner we repent and return to God, the sooner the protective hand will be restored that we had for two centuries before we embraced moral relativism."
A rabbi from Florida also shared his thoughts on the tragic events in Nashville with Fox News Digital.
Rabbi Pinchas Taylor, director of the American Faith Coalition in Plantation, Florida, called it a "tragic day for all Americans."
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Referring to the shooting that took the lives of "precious elementary school children," Taylor emphasized that this is "an issue of a morally bankrupt and mentally ill society that we cannot accept as normal."
He also said, "We must broadly do some soul-searching to get to the root of this insanity. We must have actionable conversations that will not end in partisan standstill."
Taylor continued, "There are simply no words. May God Almighty bring comfort to the grieving families and aid our country on the path toward healing — and correcting the root of the issue."
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Pastor Jesse Bradley, a Seattle-area faith leader, observed that "our nation is grieving once again."
He added, "Innocent children are no longer with us. It’s another tragedy beyond words and heartache that can’t be measured. What a sobering and terrifying reality that schools no longer feel safe. Where can we turn and what can we do?"
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Pastor Bradley added, "Prayer for these dear families is timely and powerful. We can ask God for comfort during grieving."
He also said, "On a deeper level, America has drifted from ‘In God We Trust.' This spiritual wandering in our nation has become evident in many facets of our culture, and this type of violence is devastating."
He added, "We need to come home to God’s presence, grace and hope."
Bradley also said, "Let’s remember that Jesus said (in Matthew 19:14), ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’"
He said, "God loves all children, as they are a gift from God. We honor God when we serve children well and meet their needs."
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Ryan and Bethany Bomberger, co-founders of The Radiance Foundation in Northern Virginia, told Fox News Digital via email, "Carrying out violence against the defenseless is sheer cowardice. They don’t carry these acts out against police stations or military bases, but against the vulnerable."
They added, "Our hearts are with mourning and broken families. We will never stop praying for the defeat of evil. And it comes in each gender, any age, any color. Whether it’s a demented shooter with a gun or an abortionist with forceps and a vacuum aspirator, intentionally harming or killing innocent human life is always wrong."
They also said, "Evil never relents. God and good don’t, either."
Patti Garibay, founder and national executive director of American Heritage Girls, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, called the "senseless" taking of innocent lives "an all-too-common occurrence in America."
Garibay continued, "No matter the motive, one thing is for certain — Americans need to know the love of God. His love can fill the need that every soul yearns for."
She added, "May the God of peace fill the hearts of those mourning this terrible tragedy. Our prayers are with all impacted."
