Image: Andrew Thibault & Christine Dolan Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
On Wednesday, Tennessee Senate Health Committee members were strongly urged to demand a toxicology report that would detail the kinds of prescription drugs Audrey Hale was taking for an “emotional disorder” at the time of the Nashville Covenant School shooting.
An autopsy released in June 2023 did not test for any prescription medications including those used for mental conditions or hormone therapy but instead tested only for illegal and controlled substances.
The toxicology portion of that report noted that both blood and urine samples were obtained and tested for 16 different substances: amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, cannabinoids, cocaine, fentanyl, methadone, methamphetamine, opiates, oxycodone, and phencyclidine. None of these were found in Hale’s system but the test used was only looking for abuse of drugs, not normal levels like you would see for someone taking a prescription.
Christine Dolan, a seasoned investigative journalist, television producer and author spoke to the Health Committee along with Andrew Thibault, who produced the documentary Speed Demons: Killing for Attention.
“When we take a look at mass shootings in this country, we have to ask the larger question, could this be somebody who was put on a drug? That’s the importance of demanding the toxicology report with the autopsy if a person claims to be trans. What kind of drugs were they put on in addition to any of the other drugs like anxiety or depression? It’s a very important question and lawmakers need to ask this question and not be afraid of Pharma, because if not, we’re going to have more screwed up people and there’s a higher incidence of risk for harm.” Dolan said. “This isn’t just a public health issue. This is a public safety issue combining with a public health issue that’s why you should demand the transparency in all of the documents.”
Thibault successfully sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a two-year Freedom of Information lawsuit.
In that suit, he obtained 700 drug adverse event reports that the FDA withheld where homicide was reported as a medication side effect. The reports spanned a decade between 2004 to 2014 and included commonly prescribed antidepressant medications such as Paxil, Effexor, and Wellbutrin and common ADHD stimulant drugs like Vyvanse and Focalin.
According to Thibault, the FDA now requires a “homicidal ideation” warning on the labels of a dozen psychotropic medications.
Vyvanse, an amphetamine in the same class as methamphetamine and cocaine, was detected in the toxicology report of Myron May, the Florida State University shooter.
Thibault told the Health Committee members that the FDA gave a sworn declaration in response to his federal lawsuit that school shootings were involved in the drug adverse reports for which he made FOIA requests.
Thibault said that the toxicology report that the Davidson County Medical Examiner requested for Audrey Hale was an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test. Essentially an employment screening type test that looks for drugs of abuse, the wrong kind of test according to Thibault.
Connor Sturgeon, the Louisville shooter, was found to have had Xanax in his system using a different test, and Stephen Paddock, the Vegas shooter, had diazepam in his.
Thibault warned state senators that “any attempt to enlist mental health professionals or the Pharmaceutical industry to stem mass violence is doomed from the start to fail.” Thibault gave several examples of shooters who had been seen and evaluated by mental health specialists to no avail before committing their crimes.
“It makes no sense to double down on a failed strategy that more mental health treatment could somehow prevent mass shootings,” Thibault stated. “Now, I suspect there are some very deep pockets that are pushing this harebrained scheme to medicalize criminality…The notion that Cain would not have murdered Abel if only he had been on Prozac or Seroquel is preposterous and yet the gist of pharmaceutical marketing and lobbying is that Cain had an undiagnosed mental health disorder and if only he had been treated, why he’d be throwing frisbees to his Golden Retriever on a sandy beach somewhere. This profit motivated falsehood is costing lives.”
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative.
You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.