An alumna from Texas is confirmed to be among those dead in the wake of a massacre at a school in Nashville.
Cindy Peak, a 61-year-old substitute teacher, is confirmed as one of the six victims killed after a shooter opened fire on The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Another of the victims, 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs, was confirmed to be the daughter of a former Dallas pastor, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Paul Goebel, an associate pastor at Park Cities, said that the Scruggs family was “well loved” in the city of Dallas and that the church mourns the girl’s loss.
“When children lose their lives in a shooting like this, we are confronted with just how dark, how broken, how evil our world can be,” said Goebel, according to WFAA.
Peak was also the sister of one of the Park Cities Presbyterian Church members in Dallas.
Peak had grown up in Louisiana but attended Texas Christian University, graduating in 1983. She later moved to Nashville, where she became a substitute teacher at The Covenant School, according to WFAA.
Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr., chancellor at Texas Christian University, issued a statement expressing his and the school’s sorrow for the loss of Peak and other victims of the shooting.
“The Horned Frog family mourns the death of our alumna, Cynthia Broyles Peak, class of 1983 education major. Our prayers for peace and comfort are with her family and loved ones, as well as the entire Nashville community,” said Boschini Jr. in the statement.
Peak’s family members told ABC News in a statement that they were “heartbroken” at the loss of Cindy.
“Cindy was a pillar of the community, and a teacher beloved by all her students,” said the family. “Her favorite roles in life were being a mom to her three children, a wife to her husband, and an educator to students,” they continued.