Rick Scott calls for ‘automatic death penalty’ for school shooters

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called for an “automatic death penalty” for school shooters after a 28-year-old killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tenn. 

“We need to consider an automatic death penalty for school shooters,” Scott posted to Twitter. “Life in prison is not enough for the deranged monsters who go into our schools to kill innocent kids & educators.”

“Pray for all facing the unimaginable in Nashville. This is horrible & must stop,” he added.

A shooter who police say surveilled The Covenant School and drew maps of the building in advance of the massacre blasted through the school’s locked glass doors on Monday, killing three nine-year-olds and three adults in their 60s. 

Authorities initially described the shooter as a 28-year-old white woman and later named the individual as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who identified as transgender. Hale, who police believe was a former student of the school, was killed by officers on scene.

The shooter’s motive is not yet clear.  

The Nashville tragedy is the latest in a number of mass shooting incidents this year alone, and adds to the list of school killings in the U.S.

Nine-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney were killed in the attack, as were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.