RIP

The Nashville mass shooter was reportedly torn up over the death of a close friend months before unleashing a murderous attack at a Christian school.

Audrey Hale was totally devastated after Sydney Shere Sims was killed in a car crash in August, former classmate Samira Hardcastle told NBC News.

Hale "definitely admired" Sims as they together attended Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts and the Nashville School of the Arts, Hardcastle said.

Maria Colomy, one of Hale's former teachers at another school, recalled that Sims' untimely death was an emotional wrecking ball for her former student.

Colomy paraphrased Hale's social media posts about the accident, stating something to the effect that Sims was "all that mattered" and "I'll miss you forever."

As we reported ... Hale went on a bloody rampage at Covenant School on Monday, fatally shooting three 9-year-old students and three employees in their 60s.

Two Nashville police officers shot and killed Hale on the second floor of the private elementary school.

Cops said Hale penned a manifesto detailing the school attack and identifying other potential targets.

Police Chief John Drake said Hale -- a 28-year-old biological female who identified as male -- was a former student at the school and resented having to attend classes there.

A Tennessee restaurant owned by hip hop star Yo Gotti is the site of a mass shooting that's killed 2 people, and left at least 5 others injured.

Law enforcement officials tell TMZ ... cops were called to Prive restaurant in Memphis around 11:30 PM Wednesday after a barrage of gunfire erupted in the parking lot, following a confrontation inside the restaurant that eventually spilled outside.

We're told one man was found dead in the parking lot, and the other passed away at a hospital.

Police say 4 other men and one woman were also sprayed with bullets. All of them were driven in private vehicles to hospitals for treatment. Their conditions were not released.

While Gotti does own Prive, a source tells us he was not in Memphis last night ... and none of his family members are among the victims.

The assailant or assailants fled and are still at large. Police have not said what triggered the initial altercation.

Images surfaced online showing officers investigating the scene with crime tape around the perimeter of the restaurant and patrol cars parked in front.

You might recall, Prive was temporarily closed in November 2021 for fear of retaliation violence after rapper Young Dolph was murdered about 10 miles away in Memphis. Police officers stood guard outside the establishment, but nothing happened.

The Predators were joined by the Bruins in honoring the victims of the school shooting in Nashville before their game in Boston on Tuesday night ... and the tributes to the six who tragically died were very emotional.

Just before the puck dropped on the contest at TD Garden ... the two teams and their fans had a moment of silence. The arena's public address announcer told the crowd at the time, "The Boston Bruins stand alongside the Nashville Predators in solidarity against gun violence and in support of the Nashville community."

Players were visibly shaken as the venue went silent ... and the names of the six victims -- three of whom were just 9 years old -- were displayed on the stadium's jumbotron.

The two teams also wore stickers on their helmets to honor The Covenant School -- where a 28-year-old gunman shot the six on Monday morning. The Preds urged people to donate to support survivors as well.

The game was the Predators' first since the tragedy ... and they ended up winning despite all the pregame emotions -- beating the best team in the NHL, 2-1.

Before the contest began, Predators head coach John Hynes called all of Monday's events "a really sad situation."

Big celebrities are pitching in to help victims of the Nashville elementary school shooting ... by donating thousands of dollars.

GoFundMes have been set up for the families of the six people killed and others wounded in Monday's shooting ... including one for the Kinney family, whose 9-year-old son, William, was one of the three children murdered by 28-year-old Audrey Hale.

The Kinney family received a $2K donation from former Bears QB Jay Cutler, who lives in Nashville. Donations have been pouring in to benefit the Kinney family ... the fundraiser is already well past its $50K goal.

Former 'Bachelorette' star Kaitlyn Bristowe donated $1K to a campaign that goes to all six families as well as those wounded. Jena Sims, actress and wife of star golfer Brooks Koepka, also put $1K into the fund.

John Carter Cash, son of singer Johnny Cash, donated $2K.

A slew of stars have expressed their outrage over the massacre on social media ... demanding politicians strengthen gun safety laws.

The headmaster killed in the Nashville school mass shooting died a hero ... reportedly trying to stop the assailant in order to save her students.

Katherine Koonce was one of six people shot dead at Covenant School on Monday as Audrey Hale went on a bloody rampage with two assault rifles and a 9MM semi-automatic.

The head of school had previously prepared her students and staff for an active shooter situation and fearlessly sprang into action when the bullets started flying.

Nashville City Councilman Russ Pulley told FOX News that Koonce, 60, promptly ended a Zoom meeting after the first gunshot and didn't think twice about going after the 28-year-old Hale.

Pulley said, "She immediately ended the call, got up and headed straight for the shooter," indicating that Koonce may have clashed with Hale in a hallway.

Pulley added, "She did what principals and headmasters do; she protected her children."

Nashville Police Chief John Drake confirmed at a Tuesday press conference that Koonce was involved in a "confrontation, I’m sure – you can tell the way she was lying in the hallway," but Drake did not elaborate.

Koontz's local pastor, John Bourgeois, celebrated her selfless act in a message to his congregation at West End Community Church in Nashville. Bourgeois wrote, "She gave her life in defense of the children under her care."

Police say two of Koontz's colleagues, both 61, were also murdered: Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher and Mike Hill, a custodian. In addition, three 9-year-old students were killed: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

Two cops were seen on body cam footage fatally shooting Hale on the second floor of the private Christian elementary school.

Chief Drake said Hale had written a manifesto detailing the deadly attack and listing other potential targets. The contents of the manifesto were not disclosed.

Drake also said Hale -- who was a biological female but identified as male -- was a former student at the school and resented having to attend classes there, which was "why this incident occurred."

One entrepreneur/inventor has a creative and seemingly effective way teachers and students can protect themselves against school shootings ... a safe room embedded in classrooms.

We talked to Kevin Thomas Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and he broke down a product he sells through his company, KT Solutions. It's basically four foldable walls -- they look like dry erase whiteboards -- a teacher can quickly pull out to create a bulletproof shelter to hide kids in a nightmare like the one in Nashville.

Kevin calls it RASR, or ... Rapid Access Safe Rooms. They're available to the public, but are intended for classrooms -- as they offer educators/pupils a quick option to seek cover and protection in the event a mass shooter is roaming the halls ... and cops aren't there yet.

Check out the video to see how it works -- the "room" is flat at first and can function as just one wall or whiteboard for teachers and students ... so it has multipurpose utility for the school beyond just protection.

If there's an active shooter situation and a school wants something beyond locked doors to help, they can use RASR to open up a full-blown safe room good enough for the military and government agencies -- so says Thomas. In other words, it's impenetrable.

There's a demonstration here that shows you how to do it ... it's actually quite simple, and only takes seconds to lock into place. It's not the permanent fix to this ongoing issue -- as Thomas notes -- but this can certainly save lives in the interim.

We asked Thomas what sparked this innovative idea, and he said the Uvalde, TX school shooting forced his hand. As far as the price, it's $50k for delivery and installation -- and while one might presume this would come out of a school budget ... KT says that's not necessarily the case.

Adnan Syed, the man whose murder conviction was overturned after 23 years behind bars, is heading back to court -- his conviction's been reinstated, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's going back to prison.

Here's the deal ... the family of Syed's victim, Hae Min Lee, successfully appealed the overturning of his conviction -- a decision prosecutors in Maryland made last year, but the family said they were completely blindsided by his release.

On Tuesday, a Maryland appeals court reinstated Syed's murder conviction, and now a new hearing will take place ... where new DNA evidence supporting his claim of innocence could be presented.

As we reported, the family of Hae Min -- who was murdered in 1999 -- didn't think the new evidence was enough to release Syed, and they were upset it was never presented during trial.

Bottom line: They want their day in court, because they still believe Syed -- whose case was heavily publicized on the "Serial" podcast -- is responsible for Hae Min's murder.

The appeals court move will, at least, give them that -- with the conviction reinstated, the evidentiary hearing will ultimately determine whether Syed remains free or returns to prison.

BTW -- Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby told us back in September her team tried many ways to notify the Lee family about Syed's release, insisting they wouldn't have dug deeper on the DNA evidence without first contacting them.

You'll recall, Syed filed multiple appeals while behind bars, but was constantly rejected. The popularity of "Serial" in 2014 brought his case national attention ... and made many listeners question his guilt.

Nashville Police have released graphic body cam footage from the elementary school mass shooting ... and the video shows hero cops racing up the stairs and gunning the shooter down.

The intense clip was released Tuesday morning, showing multiple officers clearing classrooms and bathrooms on the first floor of The Covenant School before rushing upstairs where 28-year-old Audrey Hale was shooting at cops outside the building.

The police officers find Hale near a window, and officer Rex Engelbert, a 4-year veteran, fires multiple shots at Hale, putting the shooter on the ground. -- a second officer, Michael Collazo, a 9-year veteran shoots Hale again.

As we reported, Hale entered the building with 3 weapons -- a 9MM semiautomatic and 2 assault-type rifles. Hale fatally shot a total of 6 people, including 3 9-year-old children.

Video released by Nashville PD Monday showed Hale spraying the front glass door with bullets before entering ... then could be seen roaming the halls with one gun raised.

Maksym Galinichev -- a European boxing champ and Youth Olympic medalist -- was tragically killed while defending Ukraine against Russian troops. He was only 22.

Galinichev was with the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade (part of Ukraine's Air Assault Force) when he was killed on March 10 ... Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, announced on Twitter, saying Galinichev was defending Ukraine in Luhansk region.

"Maksym enlisted as a volunteer and came back to the frontlines twice after being wounded and recovering," Geraschenko said.

"Eternal memory to Hero."

The Ukrainian boxer started his career when he was just 10 -- winning two gold medals at the European Youth Championship and the silver medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina.

He could've participated in the European Boxing Championships in Armenia last year but refused so he could join Ukrainian forces.

Tributes from fans and athletes have been flooding social media since his death, including from Vladyslav Heraskevych, the first-ever skeleton racer from Ukraine, who praised Galinichev for defending his country.

"Glory to Hero 😢"

The Nashville shooter had an art page for their works, including one that's now giving people pause ... a rendition that highlights 'The Shining,' including one of its haunting refrains.

28-year-old Audrey Hale -- who identified as a man with he/him pronouns, and who apparently started using the name Aiden of late -- was a graphic artist and illustrator ... and Hale's AH Illustrations website is now being pored over in the wake of the massacre.

As you know ... authorities ID'd Hale as the person who killed six people Monday, including 3 kids and 3 adults with an AR-15-style gun. A motive is unknown, and Hale is dead now too.

Because of the inexplicable carnage ... folks are looking for answers anywhere they can -- including in Hale's artwork, which has gone under a microscope in the wake of the tragedy. One piece, in particular, has made some feel like Hale was telegraphing sinister intentions.

It's a digital drawing of Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance from Stanley Kubrick's famed 1980 horror flick ... the shot of him looking crazed as he stares out the window, specifically.

There's more to the disturbing creation, including the notorious phrase "REDRUM" ... which is "MURDER" spelled backward and which was heavily featured in the film. That phrase is prominently displayed in Hale's art, as are other quotes and phrases from 'The Shining.'

Aside from this, Hale's art is mostly innocuous and interesting. Hale's bio is also pretty mellow -- describing Hale as a freelance artist whose art attempts to bring a "whimsical and light-hearted feel."

Hale talks about enjoying video games, watching movies and playing sports ... going on to say this, "There is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground. Animals are my second passion, so I also enjoy spending time with my two cats."

A self-portrait says Hale's on a "mission to change the world." Cops say Hale left a manifesto behind, although its contents haven't been revealed. Hale was armed with two rifles during the onslaught, and law enforcement has indicated more weapons were at Hale's home.

Dramatic new video captured the Nashville mass murderer blasting their way into an elementary school and roaming the halls with an assault weapon before fatally shooting 6 people, including 3 children.

Check out the security footage, released late Monday by the Metropolitan Nashville PD, showing Audrey Hale driving through a parking lot at Covenant Church/School with 2 assault-type rifles and a 9MM semiautomatic.

After parking a Honda Fit, Hale walked up to the school entrance and opened fire at the doors, shattering the glass windows. The shooter then crouched down to slip through one of the shot-out windows to enter the school.

Hale then maneuvered through the hallways with their rifle, wearing military fatigues and a red baseball cap turned backward. Hale opened several doors and entered rooms looking for prey. Throughout the video, you can see lights flashing from the school's alarm system.

Police say Hale fatally shot three 9-year-old students identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Hale also shot and killed three adults in their 60's: Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher; Mike Hill, a custodian; and Katherine Koonce, the head of school.

Cops responded to the scene after receiving 911 calls. When they arrived, the officers were met by Hale shooting at them from a second-floor window of the school. The police were not injured.

Officers quickly cleared the school of students and personnel and made their way up to the second-floor common area. That's where two cops shot and killed Hale.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Hale randomly gunned down people in the school after coming into contact with them.

Drake also said Hale was a former student and resented having to attend the school, which was "why this incident occurred."

The chief also said police recovered a manifesto written by Hale, who detailed preparations for the attack and listed other potential targets. He did not reveal the contents.

Sen. Rand Paul says a member of his staff was stabbed in broad daylight in Washington D.C. ... resulting in what police are calling "life-threatening" injuries.

Kentucky's U.S. Senator announced Monday the unnamed staffer was "brutally attacked" over the weekend and he and his wife are praying they make a speedy and complete recovery.

The Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department says officers responded to a report of a stabbing just before 5:30 PM Saturday night less than 1.5 miles from the U.S. Capitol and found a person suffering from stab wounds.

Police say the victim, who Rand says works for him, was taken to the hospital in life-threatening condition.

MPD also says officers arrested a 42-year-old man named Glynn Neal in connection with the alleged attack, charging him with assault with intent to kill.

Taylor Lewan, Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans are mourning after another school shooting took the lives of six people, including three children, in Nashville on Monday ... with the frustrated NFL lineman saying "this s*** has got to stop."

The horrific incident occurred around 10:13 AM when Nashville Police received a call about an active shooter at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church -- a Christian school for preschool to 6th-grade students.

Three students and three adults were killed in the attack.

"Officers entered the first story of the school, began clearing it," police said at the news conference. "They heard shots coming from the second level. They immediately went to the gunfire."

Police said they saw a female shooter -- who was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun -- on the second floor when she was fatally shot by responding officers.

Lewan -- who played for the Titans from 2014 to 2022 -- was devastated by news of the tragic event, and went to Twitter to express his frustration over the senseless act.

"This s*** has got to stop," the former first-round pick said. "Disgusting, these are children."

His former teammate, Kevin Byard, also shared his thoughts on social media ... the Titans safety saying, "Cannot believe this happens in our communities. Praying for all the families involved."

Henry -- who joined the Titans in 2016 -- added his own thoughts on Twitter ... saying, "I am heartbroken and sick over the lives lost today at Covenant School. I’m praying for comfort and peace for all those affected in our community 🙏🏾♥️"

The Tennessee Titans also weighed in, expressing support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as the community.

A Mississippi meteorologist had a raw reaction to the deadly tornados that just tore through the state -- saying a prayer live on the air ... which has now gone viral.

WTVA 9 News' Matt Laubhan was bringing in weather updates Friday evening as word of massive storms touching down was starting to spread. He was explaining what the city of Amory -- in the northeast part of MS -- could expect to see when he took a pause.

Check it out ... it's pretty shocking to see how he reacts to an incoming tornado that clearly has him concerned. He even pauses and invokes Jesus' name -- asking him to help them.

Even before he said his prayer, Laubhan was getting into the weeds and being fully transparent with viewers -- telling them that while he might predict what's gonna happen, they have to be prepared for the worst. He also pulled up helpful interactive tools onscreen.

His whole broadcast was coming from the heart, and you can see how much he cared about the folks on the ground. It's a humanizing moment ... the Internet certainly appreciated it.

As for the aftermath ... upwards of 26 people are reported dead after tornados tore through much of Mississippi, causing massive destruction. The gusts these tornados came with were at their highest ... going as fast as 166 MPH to 200 MPH. So, a full-blown natural disaster.

Ray Liotta's Facebook account is no longer posting celeb death hoaxes and sending out weird links to fake news ... at least that's what his team's hoping, but seems like the mystery hacker isn't giving up that easily.

Here's the deal ... the late actor's Facebook account started posting a ton of strange things last week, like death hoaxes, news links and fake stories about Ellen DeGeneres, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- all of which confused and alarmed fans who followed the late "Goodfellas" star.

Late this week, a rep for Ray's team told TMZ they'd finally resolved the issue by reaching out to Facebook and working with them to address the problem.

Or, so they thought. Shortly after we were told the account was secured ... another bizarre post -- for Ray's page, at least -- went up promoting a porn scene. It has since been removed.

We've reached out regarding the porn post, but no word back yet.

While his team told us they believed the account was back in good hands ... that doesn't seem to be the case.

The troubling part is it seems a mystery as to who's been hacking his page and how these posts keep ending up on his feed. All the old phony posts have been deleted, but it's clear someone is still using his account with ill intentions.

Despite the scary security breach, Ray's camp says Mark Zuckerberg's company has been "an amazing partner in resolving the issue."

As you know, Ray died in his sleep last May, when the 67-year-old was filming a movie in the Dominican Republic.

Xavier Lopez -- aka, 'Chabelo,' who'd been on Mexican and Latin American families' TV screens for decades, providing laughs and entertainment -- has died.

The legendary comic and actor, famous for dressing up as a little kid and starring in a number of sketch and comedy shows, passed away Saturday ... which was first announced by the President of Mexico, no less -- Andrés Manuel López Obrador -- on Twitter.

He wrote (in Spanish), "Hugs to family and friends for the death of Xavier López "Chabelo". How can I forget that my eldest son woke up early to see him over 40 years ago."

Chabelo's Facebook page went into more detail about how exactly he died with a message from his family, noting there were abdominal complications he was dealing with -- which they say took his life suddenly. It's unclear what sort of illness he may have been battling.

In any case, the post goes on to say this ... "With a torn soul and knowing that many and many people have loved him for many years and that they will feel his departure, we ask you to pray for his rest and give us the opportunity to spend in peace the mourning that overwhelms our entire family."

Chabelo was well-known in Spanish-speaking households -- not just in Mexico, where he lived and worked, but here in the States as well ... as his content was a staple for early morning children's programming. His most famous contribution might be his long-running variety show, "En Familia con Chabelo." He played the host -- in character as a little kid named Chabelo, dressed in childlike overalls, etc. -- and would play games, do interviews and more.

The fact this show, in particular, ran for so long (1968-2012) uninterrupted with him as the host actually won a couple Guinness World Records -- one for Longest Career as a Children’s Television Host and another for playing the Chabelo character in general (57 years).

Other hit shows he helped spearhead and star in include ... "La carabina de Ambrosio," "La Güereja y algo más," "La escuelita VIP," "La familia P. Luche," and many, many others.

Chabelo is credited with creating a whole subgenre of comedy in Latin America ... namely, adults portraying themselves as kids -- which has been done time and again over the years. This guy's the original ... and his passing is akin to losing someone like Fred Rogers.

He's survived by his wife and children. Chabelo was 88.