Loyola Academy Alum Among Cops Who Stopped Nashville School Shooter

WILMETTE, IL — One of the officers who rushed into a Nashville school on Monday morning to confront a shooter was a Chicago native and alumnus of Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

Officer Rex Engelbert, a four-year veteran of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, graduated from Loyola nine years ago, according to police and school officials.

"Loyola Academy joins the nation in mourning the tragic loss of life at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee," according to a statement from the school.

"Our community stands wholly against violence. May our prayers, and the prayers of so many, be a source of strength and comfort for the families who are experiencing unimaginable loss."

Three students and three staff members at the school were slain by a 28-year-old former student who was under a doctor's care for an undisclosed emotional disorder who had legally purchased more than a half-dozen guns from local stores, according to Nashville police.

"We stand in solidarity with the Covenant School community, first responders, and law enforcement officers who acted swiftly and courageously to save lives," the school's statement continued. "We recognize the important role Loyola Academy alumnus Rex Engelbert '14 played in the quick response to this tragic situation and pray for him and all our first responders who are called to a life of service to others every day."

Prior to attending Loyola, Engelbert attended Queen of All Saints School on Chicago's Northwest Side, graduating in 2010, according to school officials.

Body-worn camera footage released by Nashville police shows Engelbert and other officers arrive and retrieve rifles from their squad cars as a school staffer outside provides details.

"The kids are locked down, but we have two kids that we don't know where they are," she said, informing police the shooter had fired through a window, and "upstairs are a bunch of kids."

"I need three," Engelbert says. "Let's go."

Once inside, the officers hurry through hallways lined with cubbies and brightly colored bulletin boards, clearing classrooms as they go. An alarm can be heard in the background.

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Within three minutes of entering the building, Engelbert and fellow officer Michael Collazo had shot and killed the suspect.

"His bravery was shown in his actions,” his older brother Kevin told the Chicago Tribune. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The videos show Nashville officers demonstrating urgency in sharp contrast to the response of police in Uvalde, Texas.

Metro Nashville Police John Drake said the officers' actions likely prevented more people from being killed.

"As I've said before, I was hoping this day would never, ever come here in this city, but we would never wait to make entry and to go in and to stop a threat," Drake told reporters. "Especially when it deals with our children."

Police said those shot dead include three 9-year-olds — Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney — along with head of school Katherine Koonce, 60; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and custodian Mike Hill, 61.