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'I just gasped' | Friend of woman killed in Nashville school shooting heartbroken over loss

Katherine Koonce, 60, was Head of Schools at The Covenant School, in Nashville. She graduated from GSU and once attended church in Cobb County

ATLANTA — One of the victims of the Nashville School shooting has ties to metro Atlanta.

Katherine Koonce, 60, was Head of Schools at The Covenant School, in Nashville. She was shot and killed Monday along with nine-year-old students Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, custodian Mike Hill and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.

According to Koonce's LinkedIn profile, she earned her master's in education at Georgia State University. She was also involved at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta– when she lived in the metro Atlanta area, the church said. 

Nashville Police said former Covenant School student  Audrey Hale shot through the doors– armed with two rifles and a gun– and shot and killed six people before police killed her.

RELATED: Nashville school shooting: Victims identified, suspect left 'manifesto'

Koonce's friend Dean Crowe couldn't believe it when she heard the news.

"There is a gaping hole that is here because she's not here," Crowe said, "And two of her colleagues aren't here. And three of her students aren't here. And nothing's going to bring them back." 

Crowe said she met Koonce through their love of Christ.

"I was invited to be part of a small group– women's Bible study," Crowe said. "And Katherine was in that small group. And so, that's how I met her. And just, right away, I loved her."

Crowe said Koonce would give her wonderful advice about her son's education, and it hurts that she'll never hear any more of it due to her life being cut short.

"She said, 'Oh, he's a renaissance man. So, you need to encourage that,'" Crowe said. "'He is going to want to study a bunch of different things and that is great, but you need to encourage that because that's how God created Him.'"

Crowe learned of the deadly shooting while she was out of town. 

"I was like, 'I wonder if they've released the names of the victims,'" Crowe said, "And so, I looked it up online. And I was reading it. And I had already sat down. And my friend June was sitting next to me. And I saw Katherine Koonce. And I just... I just gasped, I was like, 'No, no, no!'"

Crowe believes Koonce died protecting her students and that's how she wants to remember her.

"Katherine would want people to know that she had hope beyond yesterday. She had hope," Crowe said, "And her hope was in heaven. And she believed in something greater than herself."

While Crowe was getting dressed, she thought to herself, Koonce would have been getting dressed too. It broke her heart. Then, she said she received a special sign.

"A red cardinal flew up and sat on this ledge. And I was like, 'Okay, Katherine, I know you're good. I know you're in heaven,'" Crowe said.

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