Katherine Koonce, 60, was one of six people fatally shot at the Nashville private Christian school on Monday. The others were 9-year-old students at the school: Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. The other adults killed were Mike Hill, 61, a custodian at the school; and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher.
“If there was any trouble in that school, she would run to it, not from it,” Jackie Bailey said of her friend, according to The Associated Press. “She was trying to protect those kids
“That’s just what I believe.”
“She loved God and she loved people,” Stephana Greene, a parent of children who attend The Covenant School, told WVLA-TV. “So, it doesn’t surprise me at all that she died protecting people.”
According to the school’s website, Koonce received her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1985. She earned her master’s degree in education from Georgia State University in 1995 and was awarded a doctorate in education at Trevecca Nazarene University, a Christian university located in Nashville, in 2015.
Before that, she worked for nearly 15 years at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville. She was the academic dean at the school from 2009 to 2016; before that, she was the school’s director of learning services for almost nine years.
Diane Button told People that she met Koonce when her 8-year-old daughter started at Christ Presbyterian Academy.
“Katherine was as solid as a friend could be,” Button told the magazine. “Her faith was her foundation. Her family was her greatest love, yet she always wanted to work and give back so other families and children could also feel loved and cared for.”
Barrett Severance, another former student at Christ Presbyterian Academy, said Koonce’s personality “was as bright as the colors she would wear on her outfit.”
“In high school, there was a lot of times that I felt like giving up, and she would fight for us,” Severance told WTVF. “She was very much a champion for her students. She fought for all of them -- often when we quit fighting for ourselves.”
A family friend told WAFB-TV that Koonce was originally from Baton Rouge. She was a wife and mother of two. She attended the Louisiana State University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, according to WVLA.
“Their family was so good to us, and Katherine always made sure my daughter was included. She made such a big difference in our lives,” Button told People. “You could always count on Katherine to show up with her giant heart and her brilliant mind. There is no doubt in my mind that she died while giving herself wholeheartedly to those children and co-workers she loved so much.”
Anna Caudill, a former art teacher, worked with Koonce for nearly a decade at Christ Presbyterian Academy.
“She was an absolute dynamo and one of the smartest women I’ll ever know,” Caudill told the AP. “She wasn’t Wonder Woman, but I never saw the two in the same place.”
The Covenant School A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Amis) (JOHN AMIS/AP)
The Covenant School A family leaves with their children from a reunification site in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, March 27, 2023. Officials say several children were killed in a shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. The suspect is dead after a confrontation with police. (AP Photo/John Amis) (John Amis/AP)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: Children arrive at Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: School buses with children arrive at Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School A police crime scene tape is seen at the entrance to Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. Monday, March 27, 2023. Officials say several children were killed in a shooting at the private Christian grade school in Nashville. The suspect is dead after a confrontation with police. (AP Photo/John Amis) (JOHN AMIS/AP)
The Covenant School Children from The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., hold hands as they are taken to a reunification site at the Woodmont Baptist Church after a deadly shooting at their school on Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise) (Jonathan Mattise/AP)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: School buses with children arrive at Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School A photograph released by Nashville police shows the doorway where the shooter entered The Covenant School. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
The Covenant School A photo provided by Nashville police shows how Audrey Hale gained entrance to The Covenant School by shooting through the glass doors. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
The Covenant School Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, drove this Honda Fit to the Covenant Church/school campus and parked at the site. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: A parent walks with their kids from Woodmont Baptist Church where children were reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (Seth Herald/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: People attend a vigil at Woodmont Christian for those who were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (Seth Herald/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 28: Mourners pray at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: A U.S. Marshal stands outside of Woodmont Baptist Church while waiting for children to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 28: Chief of Police John Drake is prayed for at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee before a press briefing. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (Seth Herald/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: People attend a vigil at Woodmont Christian for those who were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (Seth Herald/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: A parent walks with their child from Woodmont Baptist Church where children were reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: Law enforcement officers stand outside of Woodmont Baptist Church while waiting for children to be reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 28: Chief of Police John Drake looks at memorial items left at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee before a press briefing. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 28: Chief of Police John Drake delivers a press briefing at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 28: Mourners listen as Chief of Police John Drake delivers a press briefing at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (Seth Herald/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: People attend a vigil at Woodmont Christian for those who were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)
The Covenant School NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 27: A parent walks with their child from Woodmont Baptist Church where children were reunited with their families after a mass shooting at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to initial reports, three students and three adults were killed by the shooter, a 28-year-old woman. The shooter was killed by police responding to the scene. (Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images) (SETH HERALD/Getty Images)