NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four Metro Nashville police officers placed on administrative assignment in connection with the investigation into the leak of three pages from the Covenant School shooter’s writings have been returned to regular duty.
According to NBC affiliate WSMV, the Metro Nashville Police Department said they were back on the force by 12 p.m. on Friday. At first, seven officers were put on administrative assignment "to protect the integrity of the investigation" two days after the shooter's writings were leaked on social media by a Conservative podcaster.
A chancery court ruled in May that the 100 Covenant families had the right to intervene in the case to stop the release of those documents. The families have sought to keep the records from reaching the public.
According to the Associated Press, the families submitted declarations to the court laying out in detail what their children have gone through since the March 27 shooting, an attorney previously said. They also filed a report from an expert on childhood trauma from mass shootings. That evidence shows “the release of documents will only aggravate and grow their psychological harm,” he said.
MNPD did not identify any of the officers and a spokesperson for the department said the move was "absolutely not punitive." WSMV said its investigative team confirmed the leaked images' authenticity.
MNPD previously said the leaked images were not crime scene photos, and said Friday the investigation into the source of the leak is continuing.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell previously told WSMV that the city’s legal department is also investigating.